Biden press secretary Jen Psaki said on Jan. 15 that the Biden administration would release a White House visitor log. Psaki file photo.
A spokeswoman for U.S. President-elect Joe Biden said Friday (Jan. 15) that the Biden administration will release White House visitor logs to the public.
“For the sake of clarity, the Biden-He Jinli administration will resume its policy of releasing White House visitor logs. Visitors will be restricted for a period of time because security is a top priority during the (Chinese Communist virus) pandemic.” Jen Psaki, the incoming White House press secretary, said in a statement.
The Trump administration announced in 2017 that it would not release records of White House visitors. A White House spokesman said at the time that the decision was made because there are hundreds of thousands of visitors each year and releasing the list posed “serious national security risks and privacy concerns.
President Obama’s predecessors had a similar policy. But under Obama, the White House released visitor records even after a court ruled that they could be withheld from the public. The court’s ruling came after Judicial Watch, a watchdog group, sought access to records of visits for much of 2009.
An appeals court last year confirmed that the Trump administration can protect the identity of visitors to the White House and Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla.
“Compelling disclosure of visitor records would affect the president’s ability to obtain unfettered, candid advice from outside advisers and domestic and foreign leaders who know that their visits to the White House will be publicly disclosed.” The court said.
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