Two influential Senators have written to the National Archivist demanding he stop the CIA’s attempts to destroy emails written by former employees and contractors.
“We are concerned that this policy would undermine the ability of citizens to understand how their government works and hold it accountable,” said Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas) in a letter sent Monday to archivist David Ferriero.
“A plan to delete the majority of emails at any agency should raise great concern,” the lawmakers added.
In January of this year, the CIA submitted a proposal to the national archivist to allow the agency to begin permanently deleting the email of all former employees and contractors within three years of them leaving their post, with the exception of the CIA’s top 22 officials.
The archivist was prepared to green light the request in September, until it received heightened attention from watchdog organizations like the Federation of American Scientists, the ACLU, and the Project on Government Oversight.
The organizations speculated that the new CIA policy could be related to ongoing efforts to suppress information regarding its post-9/11 torture program.
On November 20th, after receiving criticism from top Senators on the Intelligence Committee, the National Archives and Records Administration announced it was “reassessing” the proposal.
The archivist is scheduling public hearings to further discuss the CIA proposal and expects to have a final decision early next year.
Although neither Leahy nor Cornyn directly oversee the CIA on the Intelligence Committee, the pair hold significant clout. Leahy currently chairs the Judiciary Committee. Cornyn is the incoming GOP majority whip.
“To lose permanent access to the email of every CIA employee, except the 22 most senior officials at the agency,” they said in their letter to the archivist, “is to lose access to a piece of American history.”
