Washington
The announcement, from an administration that has faced pointed questions about its commitment to transparency, marks a significant shift from an Obama White House that released the names of nearly 6 million visitors, a total that includes lobbyists, during Obama’s tenure.
Instead, the Trump administration said it would release information under far more limited circumstances: when Freedom of Information Act requests are filed for those visiting offices of the White House classified under the law as separate agencies, such as the Office of Management and Budget.
Under the new policy, it will be up to the White House to decide whether to release the names of visitors coming to meet with the president, vice president and their senior staff, at least in the short term. Under a separate statute, much of that information can become public years after Donald Trump leaves office.
Friday’s announcement was harshly criticized by an array of government watchdog groups.
“The only excuse for this policy is that the Trump administration has something to hide,” said David Donnelly, president and chief executive of Every Voice. “This kind of secrecy will allow big donors, lobbyists and special interests to have unknown levels of influence in the White House.”
“It’s the exact opposite of ‘draining the swamp,’ ” Donnelly added, referring to Trump’s pledge to usher in a more ethical and less corrupt era in Washington.
The Trump administration was sued in federal court earlier this week by a coalition of watchdog groups to compel the release of White House records. Under Obama, such visitor logs, which were published on a White House-maintained web page, were typically disclosed 90 to 120 days after the visit.
Since Trump took office in January, the page where the visitor logs had been publicly available has gone dark, and Trump administration officials said on Friday that they will no longer maintain it, which the White House said would save taxpayers $70,000 by 2020.