What is U.S. Rep. Todd Platts running, a counseling agency or a congressional office?
After news came out that the Obama administration agreed to release to citizens a list of people who visited the president at the White House — with some exceptions — the Daily Record/Sunday News wondered if the York County Republican — long a champion of clean, open government — would do the same.
The answer: No.
“Every day, constituents contact my office to discuss issues or personal problems they are having with government agencies, many of which include health and financial matters,” Rep. Platts wrote in reply. “I have a very real concern that were these interactions public, then my constituents might feel too intimidated, scared, embarrassed or self-conscious to approach my office for help.”
Good grief, no one asked for transcripts or video of the sessions. And it’s hard to imagine people come in and spill their guts to their congressman as if he were their therapist.
The request was for a simple list of visitors so constituents might get a glimpse into who meets with him to lobby him on important issues of the day.
Knowing Rep. Platts — who has a well-earned reputation for ethical
behavior in office — that list would be long on Boy Scout troops and
short on, say, tobacco lobbyists.
What would be the harm in providing a list?
Why not set the congressional standard for openness — then
challenge other members who might be meeting with less savory elements
of society to do likewise?
Instead, Rep. Platts relied on advice from the U.S. House General Counsel, which noted:
The Freedom of Information Act, which grants access to federal records, doesn’t apply to Congress.
Typical.
Congress imposes openness rules on the president and other
government agencies but won’t live up to the high standards it sets.
House rules consider communications between members of Congress and
their constituents to be confidential, and those communications
generally aren’t made public without the constituents’ consent.
Again, no one asked for communications.
Just a list.
This is a painfully disappointing response from Rep. Platts. Maybe his constituents should go see a therapist.
Or a congressman.
Maybe they could ask him to sponsor legislation applying the Freedom of Information Act to Congress.
This editorial appeared in the Sept. 24 York Daily Record.
