Anonymous Government Officials Call For More Transparency

There’s something odd about this story, I just can’t put my finger on it:

Obama administration officials are talking up open government, transparency and accountability, but are doing it anonymously in apparent contradiction of the goal.

Two senior officials briefed reporters on Monday on the eve of the unveiling of President Barack Obama’s Open Government Partnership, which seeks to promote responsible leadership and stewardship of natural resources around the world. But under rules set by the State Department, the officials could not be identified by name.

Perhaps these officials were present in March when the President received his transparency award in secret.

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Doug Mataconis
About Doug Mataconis
Doug Mataconis held a B.A. in Political Science from Rutgers University and J.D. from George Mason University School of Law. He joined the staff of OTB in May 2010 and contributed a staggering 16,483 posts before his retirement in January 2020. He passed far too young in July 2021.

Comments

  1. Ben Wolf says:

    Wait, State Department rules forbid the officials from giving their names, or the media from reporting their names? If the latter how can that possibly be constitutional?

  2. Sam says:

    “in apparent contradiction of the goal.”

    Modus operandi for this gang.