Bob Dole: “this is a sound amendment. The distinguished Senator from Kentucky has led efforts to bring the facts of the outrageous…”

“this is a sound amendment. The distinguished Senator from Kentucky has led efforts to bring the facts of the outrageous scandal to public attention. We cannot have a double standard--one for Republican administrations and one for the Democrats. Certain facts are clear: Nearly 200 files of Bush administration political appointees were ransacked, and the contents of some files leaked to the press--a textbook case of criminal violations of the Privacy Act. In this case, it was not justice that was blind, it was the Justice Department. For unknown reasons, the Justice Department decided not to prosecute the individuals responsible for the violations detailed in the inspector general's report. The IG's report itself raises as many questions as it answers. I cannot address those questions because the inspector general decided not to release the full report. In a letter transmitting a copy of the report to my staff, the IG's office wrote: Although the report is unclassified, it is not publicly releasable in its present form and may be entirely exempt from release under provisions of the privacy and freedom of information acts. This seems to be a newfound dedication to laws protecting privacy on the part of the inspector general. In November 1992, a 104-page report on the alleged search of one passport file was released. No comment about the Privacy Act. No comment about the Freedom of Information Act.”