Originally posted by JSR

although i can see why people want to know what was in every email generated, i dont agree that email ( a basic communication somtimes ) between staff should be public domain anyway.

unless, there is already a case or investigation ongoing that may require the contents of the emails. there is no case, that i know of, that would require this. i could be wrong about that though.

but to search through email to find reason to begin a case is not IMO a good idea.

I agree with you under normal circumstances. But emails which were generated and transmitted from government facilities in the ostensible role of the business of the government are, by definition, public domain. These are official records of the United States of America, and not subject to privacy considerations outside legally justified executive privilege.

The administration tried to use the executive privilege excuse and were rebuffed by the courts. They are not being asked to 'surrender' them in reality, they are obliged to show their work to the people who paid them for it. I understand that the political party wants to maintain and strengthen the meme that this has something to do with 'fishing' but the truth is, we don't have to fish, the information is not theirs to withhold - for any reason. If they want privacy, they should exercise their business on a private computer, not paid for, nor maintained by tax-payer dollars.

This is all clearly legislated, but then, that's just a piece of paper, and we all know how that attitude goes.

Originally posted by Maxmars
I agree with you under normal circumstances. But emails which were generated and transmitted from government facilities in the ostensible role of the business of the government are, by definition, public domain. These are official records of the United States of America, and not subject to privacy considerations outside legally justified executive privilege.

yea....I hear what your saying. and legally speaking yes, they are obliged to produce them.

im not taking up for the current administration. any administration should have some sort of way to communicate in a privet forum about government business without the need to produce the content of the discussion. unless, and this is a big one, there were an investigation. and what was said in that theoretical forum was of some use to the prosecution. then could be obtained through a sapiena.

but.........this is not the case here. and, although I feel some of this is just a "fishing expedition", it is within the law.

Remember, it was 18 minutes of tape MISSING that got Nixon.

But no surprise. This Administration makes Nixon, hell make Hoover look like Choir Boys.