The irony was too rich. A bill to revamp the federal Freedom of Information that has enjoyed widespread bipartisan support was suddenly stopped dead in its procedural tracks. Someone had put a hold on the bill’s progress. But who was it? No one would say.
That’s right: a secret hold on a bill to reduce secrecy in government.
Access advocates intent on finding out who placed the hold began the process of elimination by asking senators to go on record in support of the bill. Painted into a bit of a corner, Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., finally admitted that he was responsible.
Kyl said the Justice Department was concerned about the bill’s ramifications and he wanted to slow up the process so that the bill’s effects could be studied further.
The move angered many, including fellow conservatives. Mark Tapscott, editorial writer for the Washington Times, chided Kyl for “profess[ing] to be a conservative, a believer in limited government and individual liberty, but here you are taking up the cause of Big Government’s first line of defense.”
As for DOJ’s concerns about the bill, Tapscott also said that some differences are “irreconcilable,” such as the differences between those like bill co-sponsor Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, “who believe transparency in government is the first essential for democratic accountability, and those in government like the career attorneys at the Justice Department who ALWAYS find a reason to oppose increased transparency.”
Even after being informed that many of DOJ’s concerns had already been addressed – for instance, keeping a provision that allows government to withhold some sensitive law enforcement and other privileged information – Kyl still insisted on thwarting the bill until DOJ and the bill sponsors could reach a compromise.
The Explorer newspaper from northwest Arizona lamented that Kyl was acting as a “waterboy” for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, who is “no friend of open government,” instead of honoring his Arizona roots and the “footsteps for Barry Goldwater.”