Henry Waxman: “This law was adopted after the Watergate scandals to underscore the fact that Presidential records belong to the…”

“This law was adopted after the Watergate scandals to underscore the fact that Presidential records belong to the American people, not to the President, not to his family, but to the American people. It has been a bipartisan proposal from the very beginning. In fact, this bill had bipartisan support not only from Mr. Clay and others, but Mr. Platts and Mr. Burton. The act said that these records would be available to researchers and the general public in a timely manner. This was the rule for over two decades, but in 2001, President George W. Bush issued an executive order that turned the Presidential Records Act on its head and gave Presidents the authority to keep their records out of the public eye. The Bush order gives both current and former Presidents nearly unlimited authority to withhold Presidential records from public view or to delay their release indefinitely.”