Those who read my post from last night about Senator Obama's passport file being broken into know my main concern is full disclosure of the facts... not the Bush administration's spin on what happened.
We deserve to know the truth regarding the who, what, when, where, and why of this case.
And now that I know that Senators Clinton and McCain's passport files were also accessed inappropriately - (I believe Senator Clinton's file was accessed during a training session. I'm not clear about the specifics regarding Senator McCain.) - I am even more concerned that what happened be discovered and presented to the public through an investigation that is transparent and where the results are verifiable. The time has long passed when we can hear "Trust us." from the Bush administration and reply "Okay."
So, that is why I was so dismayed - but, ultimately, not surprised - to hear State Department spokesperson Sean McCormick say during his briefing on the subject today something like this:
"We aren't going to release the name of the contractor whose employees broke into these files at this time. We prefer to conduct our investigation without all the distractions that would come with releasing such information right now."
Typical Bush administration "Trust us. We'll get back to you after we've found out what happened" B.S.
Now, this is not an exact quote. But it's very close. McCormick said this a little after 12:30pm Eastern time. If I can, I will get his exact words later. But my point is this:
The name of the contractor - whose contract fees were paid by the tax dollars of the American people - must be public knowledge. Now. That is the only way the press can investigate this story.
I think the concept is called "Freedom of the Press". Here's a link to the topic on - of all things - the State Department's web site - about The First Amendment and Freedom of the Press
It's also called The Public's Right To Know.
Does the Bush administration believe in the principles presented on its own State Department's web site? Time will tell.
UPDATE 2pm Eastern:
Here's TPM's coverage of the State Department not giving out the name of the contractor. They've got the exact quote from McCormick.
UPDATE 6pm Eastern:
Sometime between 5 and 6PM Eastern, AP reported that it has learned that two of the three employees involved with Obama's passport files worked for Stanley, Inc. of Virginia. That's two down and one to go.
I note that on the web site for Stanley, Inc. there's a press release - dated March 17, 2008 - touting the firm receiving a "$570million Contract To Continue Support Of Passport Program"... support which the company has been providing for 15 years. From this press release:
This contract award follows Stanley's announcement in December 2007 that it had begun construction of a secure passport production center in Tucson, Ariz., expected to begin operations in spring 2008. The Tucson Passport Center and an existing facility in Hot Springs, Ark., opened in March 2007, were authorized under a 10-year Department of State contract in October 2006, initially valued at $164 million. Stanley oversees operations and the printing, quality control and mailing of U.S. passports and other travel documents at these locations.
The company began its relationship with the Department of State in 1992 when it assisted in establishing the National Passport Center in Portsmouth, N.H. Since that time, Stanley has expanded its services to support passport operations at all 18 locations nationwide.