Questioning Secrecy in a Stated Open Administration

The Washington Times says that the House Judiciary Committee opened an investigation Wednesday into whether Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. lied under oath in testimony about the Justice Department’s surveillance of journalists, while the White House declared again that President Obama “absolutely” has confidence in Mr. Holder. Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte, Virginia Republican, and Rep. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., Wisconsin Republican, asked Mr. Holder in a letter to explain “discrepancies” between his sworn testimony before the panel earlier this month and the Justice Department’s decision to obtain a search warrant for the emails of James Rosen, the chief Washington correspondent for Fox News.
The Republicans need to be persistent in this investigation, and sending a letter to the Atty. Gen. may not be enough. It gives the Atty. Gen. a greater opportunity to weasel word a reply, than if he were required to give verbal replies in open conversation. However, appropriate documents can always be used as a basis for verbal questioning.
There is much more at stake here than just the matter of lying on a search warrant involving James Rosen. The whole Administration has been involved in nefarious activities completely inconsistent with the stated promise of an open government.. It is past time to call the Administration to task, piece by piece.