CREW Calls for Investigation into the Use of Private Email Accounts at the SEC

November 1, 2011

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WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Today Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) called on the Securities and Exchange Commission’s (SEC) Inspector General (IG), H. David Kotz, to investigate reports that SEC employees are using private email accounts to conduct agency business. According to a report in Bloomberg, these actions were taken with the express purpose of evading a series of recent IG investigations. Click here to read CREW’s letter.

“This is just the latest instance where SEC employees seemingly thumb their nose at federal law in the hopes of avoiding public review of their actions,” said CREW Chief Counsel Anne Weismann. “It is incumbent on the IG to fully investigate this latest incident and bring some much needed reforms to this troubled agency.”

The Federal Records Act requires agencies to preserve all records that document how the agency performs its mission. Regulations allow for the use of private email (such as Gmail or Yahoo) only if a system is in place to capture and preserve those emails. Such a system does not seem to be in place at the SEC.

“Whether it’s Karl Rove in the Bush White House, or SEC employees in the Obama Administration, the practice of public employees using private email to avoid potential disclosure is simply wrong,” said Ms. Weismann. “In the wake of reports of serious enforcement failures at the SEC, it is more important than ever for the public to have access to these emails to hold the agency accountable for its actions.”

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) is a non-profit legal watchdog group dedicated to holding public officials accountable for their actions. For more information, please visit www.citizensforethics.org or contact Garrett Russo at 202.408.5565 or grusso@citizensforethics.org.

CONTACT:

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW)
Garrett Russo, 202-408-5565
grusso@citizensforethics.org

KEYWORDS: United States North America District of Columbia

INDUSTRY KEYWORDS: Public Policy/Government Public Policy White House/Federal Government Professional Services Finance Communications Public Relations/Investor Relations

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