You're watching...
Competitive Enterprise Institute Director Myron Ebell on efforts to investigate EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson’s use of government-assigned email wi...
Also in this playlist...
Auto-advance: ON
Auto-advance
This transcript is automatically generated
A member of the group who sued the administration.
To re -- these documents competitive enterprises is his.
Some irony bell joins me now by the way we did contact the EPA for a statement on this and it did not provide one.
But -- -- but how did you.
Find out what was -- that led you down this path aware.
There were aliases and -- kind of a cloak and dagger about the way they use these other.
Outside email addresses.
-- it it was due to the persistence of my colleague at CEI Chris Horner.
Who through a series of freedom and information act requests.
And eventually a lawsuit.
Discovered that Lisa Jackson was concealing the public's business under an email account.
In her nickname for that it -- was Richard Windsor.
Now know Freedom of Information Act requests had until we discovered that a camp had had ever had they ever searched.
Her private email accounts that she was using for public business.
So essentially she was evading federal law by concealing.
What should be open and transparent.
Deliberations.
Over all these extremely expensive rules.
That the EPA has been forty -- on our economy.
Well this listened this whole business about cover ups and everything else nobody likes Washington covering up anything.
But there have been published reports that say that she's not the first that maybe Carol Browner was involved in this and now they're even political IB net as.
As comment about the fact that there may have this may have gone on in the Bush Administration bush 43.
Is this it do you know anything about these accusations or these report.
Yes it was said during the Clinton administration -- Carol Browner didn't use email.
But we discovered that again my colleague Chris Horner discovered.
That Carol Browner did use private in the email accounts for public business.
Apparently though.
All of that has been destroyed.
Illegally.
When the Clinton administration left today they destroyed the hardware that that those emails -- contain on.
So we can't go back and look it that the shenanigans that Carol Browner was getting up to during the Clinton administration.
But luckily the Justice Department now has control of the email account that Lisa Jackson was using the Richard Windsor account.
And they are now going to turn over approximately 121000 emails to us.
It is that would precipitate -- her resignation because it's a standard comment about -- wanna spend more time with my family.
Well.
Who knows but it it's not a coincidence that she is a cure for -- since scandal right now and that this is.
This is.
These emails are going to be released early in the new year so she's getting out just before we find out what -- -- up to the last four years how widespread is this because there are other agencies as.
Well that have been accused of using.
Some sort of way to get around the -- the approved of the law the law federal records law the Freedom of Information Act in the number of laws that are required that they use.
The government property government record -- so that people can follow.
Yes.
To house committees controlled by the Republicans are now.
Investigating.
The Richard Windsor issue and I hope that -- ask that question how widespread is this illegal practice.
Who else has been doing it.
Let's see those records you fit their needs to be a very widespread investigation here and I hope that the Republican controlled House of Representatives.
Will.
Do good job of it I don't even know how you how you'd do that -- mean there's there's this audit process that the government has.
But they're not looking around it.
Outside emails I mean this.
Almost is like a Paul abroad well find an investigator to go -- Get the CIA or the FBI or somebody else involved to find out where are the other email to these people are doing business under.
I think it's clear that the Obama administration and remember President Obama.
Promised that his would be the most transparent administration in history.
But I think it's clear that we cannot trust them to investigate themselves I think we're going to need to get some cabinet secretaries and other high.
Obama appointees before -- committee and swear them.
And take their testimony under oath whether they have.
Use these secret email accounts to evade the law.
Yeah there was a statement put out by -- Shelley Escondido from West Virginia.
She was talking about the fact it may be now that the broad -- of the president will include West Virginia.
In the conversation about energy.
Do you have any idea that they would even be considered simply because of this what -- embarrass the administration in -- closing including West Virginia.
My guess sir my observation about the administration is that they're pretty shameless I I doubt that we're going to embarrass them into much of anything.
Look these Lisa -- EPA has put through rule after rule the damages the economy.
With almost no environmental benefit.
They are they are raising energy prices and putting people out of work and they are doing it.
Without any supporting congress for this they couldn't get any of these rules -- congress.
And that's why they've had to deliberate in secret you know and and and do everything behind people's backs and not let them.
But not what the public know who -- talking to.
I expect will find when we see these -- -- -- emails we'll see a lot of private chatter with environmental pressure groups.
And and I think you you know it could be very embarrassing to the administration -- Byron bell from Competitive Enterprise Institute.
Myron thank you very much for joining us thank you Tom -- that.
