Despite consistent objections by journalists that the White House overly restricts press access, Press Secretary Jay Carney believes that there has “never been a more transparent administration.”
Carney’s assertion came during an event at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., on Thursday. The Press Secretary and CBS News Chief White House Correspondent Major Garrett discussed a variety of topics — from selfies to Obamacare — during the Q-and-A event, but the former journalist-turned-WH-flack spent a good chunk of his time talking about transparency in the administration.
“There has never been a more transparent administration,” Carney said of President Barack Obama’s time in office.
Shortly thereafter, he clarified this “doesn’t mean it’s perfectly transparent.”
Carney pointed to the 2009 decision to release the White House visitor access logs as one example of the administration’s effort to be transparent. He clarified, however, that the logs were not meant to be a complete record of every visitor, since many of the highest administration officials are merely waved through by the Secret Service
“We provide a lot more information than has ever been provided before, which doesn’t mean that we or any White House is ever going to be able to be completely transparent,” Carney said.
The White House press corps will never be satisfied with its level of access to the President and his administration, he noted. Then, perhaps showing his journalistic roots, Carney encouraged reporters to keep pressing for more information, calling it the “right” and “responsible” thing to do.
“He’s given more full-blown, stand up, hour-long-plus press conferences than President George W. Bush,” Carney said of Obama. “Which doesn’t mean you guys should be satisfied and think, ‘Oh, we’re getting enough,’ because you absolutely are doing your jobs by asking for more.”
