Presidential records bill seeks to stop 'rewriting of history'

Michael Roston

Published: Wednesday March 14, 2007 Print This Email This

A bill sponsored by the chair of the House Oversight Committee, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA), seeks to stop the "rewriting of history" by restoring full access to presidential records, RAW STORY has learned.

"There are those who would like to rewrite history for their own purposes," Waxman warned in a floor speech, available at the Speaker of the House's blog, The Gavel.

Waxman was speaking out in favor of the Presidential Records Act Amendments of 2007, a bill he co-sponsored to cancel a 2001 executive order by President George W. Bush that "gave current and former presidents and vice presidents broad authority to withhold presidential records or delay their release indefinitely," according to a fact sheet at Waxman's website.

"It would allow the records, the raw information to be available, and let those who want to interpret those events do so as they see fit," Waxman said of the bill.

In a recent hearing conducted by Waxman's committee, Thomas Blanton of the group National Security Archive slammed President Bush's executive order as obstructing the availability of documents from previous administrations.

"We had a fair, reasonable, workable, sensible, clear, orderly process producing millions of records before this executive order, and we haven't had it since," he said.

Waxman's floor speech and other information can be accessed at the Speaker's blogsite.



