Issa asks for GAO investigation of White House 'propaganda initiatives'
By Elise Viebeck - 08/16/10 03:24 PM ET
thehill.com
Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif.), the ranking Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, asked the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Monday to investigate the claims of a report he released accusing the Obama administration of directing federal resources toward promoting its policy initiatives.
"The White House has failed to transition from campaign-mode to leadership-mode and is now inappropriately leveraging those campaign-trail relationships to unlawfully generate support for the President’s agenda," the report reads.
Judging certain administration actions as "illegal or inappropriate propaganda," the 37-page report alleged misconduct by the White House in many of its new media ventures — a criticism leveled previously by Issa and others on the right.
Specifically, it notes cases in which agencies promoted sites like Recovery.gov and HealthReform.gov, which it alleges contain false information, and a conference call in which a White House staff member urged artists and entertainers to support Obama's agenda.
Another portion notes an accusation initially publicized by a now-defunct blog claiming that Tracy Russo, who writes online for the Justice Department, commented anonymously on conservative blogs in order to "push a point of view or to create the appearance of grassroots support for a particular agenda."
The Justice Department has since responded, saying there is "no credible evidence" for the claim.
The report says, as observers have noted, that while federal law limits the political and publicity activities of federal employees, most contemporary presidential administrations have engaged in similar activities.
“Although federal laws prohibit the use of taxpayer dollars for covert propaganda, administrations of both political parties have faced criticism and investigations related to abuses,” Issa noted in a statement. |
