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Secrecy and Security News

Newer News: January 2017

December 2016

• Critics see dangers lurking in framing of Clinton search warrant by Josh Gerstein, Politico Under the Radar, December 21. "Arguments the government offered behind closed doors when seeking a search warrant in the investigation of Hillary Clinton's emails are causing alarm among some transparency proponents and civil liberties advocates."
• Now, it's Trump's turn to wrestle with classified information by Anna Mulrine Grobe, Christian Science Monitor, December 19. "In politics, complaints about security clearance and classified information can cut both ways."
• Top NSA Watchdog Who Insisted Snowden Should Have Come to Him Receives Termination Notice for Retaliating Against a Whistleblower by Adam Zagorin, POGOBlog, December 15. "The closely held but unclassified finding against Ellard is not public. It was reached by following new whistleblower protections set forth by President Obama in an executive order, Presidential Policy Directive 19."
• Trump's Foreign-Policy Appointees Are Set to Provoke War With Iran by Bob Dreyfuss, The Nation, December 14. "T?he trio of generals who have so far joined Donald Trump's national security team--Mike Flynn as national security adviser, James Mattis as secretary of defense, and John Kelly as secretary of homeland security--along with Representative Mike Pompeo as director of the CIA, have unnerved official Washington and leaders around the world."
• White House Fact Sheet on Argentina Declassification Project, December 12. "The declassification project represents an historic effort by U.S. Government agencies and departments to search, identify, review for public access, and provide records that shed light on human rights abuses in Argentina between 1975 and 1984."
• GOP leaders shield Trump from expanded Russia probe by Austin Wright, Politico, December 12. "Despite calls for expanded investigations, Republicans are content with their existing oversight of alleged Russian misdeeds."
• Mitch McConnell backs Russia election hack inquiry, but scope remains vague by Spencer Ackerman, Ben Jacobs and David Smith, The Guardian, December 12. "Senate majority leader sets Republicans up for a clash with Trump, but review on offer seems to fall short of the aggressive investigation Democrats want."
• Senate torture report to be kept from public for 12 years after Obama decision by Spencer Ackerman, The Guardian, December 12. "Obama's agreement to preserve investigation into CIA's use of torture after 9/11 means classified document will remain restricted under Presidential Records Act."
• White House Will Preserve SSCI "Torture" Report as a Presidential Record, letter from White House counsel Eggleston to Sen. Feinstein, December 9. "Consistent with the authority afforded to him by the PRA, the President has informed the Archivist that access to classified material, among other categories of information, should be restricted for the full twelve years allowed under the Act. At this time, we are not pursuing declassification ofthe full Study."
• Remarks of Steven Aftergood before the Public Interest Declassification Board, December 8. "I would like to propose two specific steps for consideration: (1) a new procedure for considering declassification of properly classified information; and (2) a new initiative to develop and test innovative information security measures."
• Congressional Dems Hone in on Russian Interference Claims, Accuse GOP of Stonewalling Probe by Sam Sacks, The District Sentinel, December 7. "Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.), the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee, used a hearing on government transparency Wednesday to demand that the panel take action on allegations that the Russian government interfered in last month's election."
• Examining the Costs of Overclassification on Transparency and Security, hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, December 7.

Older News: November 2016

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Updated January 6, 2017