State Department Blocks Release Of Hillary Clinton-Era TPP Emails Until After The Election

[Bread and Circus]

http://www.ibtimes.com/political-capital/state-department-blocks-release-hillary-clinton-era-tpp-emails-until-after

State Department Blocks Release Of Hillary Clinton-Era TPP Emails Until After The Election

Trade is a hot issue in the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign. But correspondence from Hillary Clinton and her top State Department aides about a controversial 12-nation trade deal will not be available for public review — at least not until after the election. The Obama administration abruptly blocked the release of Clinton’s State Department correspondence about the so-called Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), after first saying it expected to produce the emails this spring.

The decision came in response to International Business Times' open records request for correspondence between Clinton’s State Department office and the United States Trade Representative. The request, which was submitted in July 2015, specifically asked for all such correspondence that made reference to the TPP.

The State Department originally said it estimated the request would be completed by April 2016. Last week the agency said it had completed the search process for the correspondence but also said it was delaying the completion of the request until late November 2016 — weeks after the presidential election. The delay was issued in the same week the Obama administration filed a court motion to try to kill a lawsuit aimed at forcing the federal government to more quickly comply with open records requests for Clinton-era State Department documents.

It makes one feel like they are hiding something...

[tonyt53]

1. Say it again - the Obama administration. The SoS works for, and does what the president says.

Not an independent agency or person. So, to directly (or indirectly) blame Hillary, which you did, is utter nonsense.

[Kentonio]

9. How can we blame her, when we're not even allowed to hear what she said?

[ljm2002]

15. So when she takes credit for "setting up" the Iran deal...

...she is out of line, correct? She was only doing Obama's bidding.

You make it sound like Hillary was some sort of cipher as Secretary of State. Not very inspiring, especially since that part of her resume was supposed to confer such authority upon her.

[RobertEarl]

2. Obama steps in it

I was hoping he'd take a neutral stance, but now he's gone and stepped in it by blocking transparency. It looks like he's hiding something form the public. His legacy will be destroyed!

Turn around Barack! Don't drown!

[PepperHarlan]

3. "His legacy will be destroyed"

I think he lost the crank vote a while ago.

[RobertEarl]

5. That's all he has left is his legacy

Well, that and the promise of million$ in speaking fees from the banksters.

[PepperHarlan]

6. Uh huh

[RobertEarl]

7. Nice picture of you

Thanks.

In the years to come, Obama will be known as the 'woulda, coulda, shoulda' president.

He had such promise when we first elected him, but he's been fading away ever since.

I wished he'd get some fight back in him, but, reality is, if he did, it could cost him lots of money.

[HerbChestnut]

4. This isn't surprising, really

He's the primary advocate for the TPP and surely wants to see it passed with the next administration. Turning it into a campaign issue would only harm the chances of that happening. Hiding Hillary's real stance until after the election avoids it becoming a campaign issue.

[Bread and Circus]

12. So, you are ok with this?

[HerbChestnut]

20. Nope. It's just not surprising.

Which is a bit sad, really.

[Bread and Circus]

22. Agree.

[KoKo]

8. Interesting... Expect to see TPP passed in "Lame Duck Session

sometime before the Inauguration. Probably around the holidays in a "dead of night" vote.

[Zorra]

10. Gosh, would those emails cause Clinton to lose the election if

they were made public now?

WTF are we supposed to think? This puts my trust Clinton at less than zero.

[Barack_America]

11. It disgusts me that Obama's State Dept is withholding information...

...on a purely partisan basis.

So much for transparency. And so much for us complaining when Republicans do the same thing.

[Bread and Circus]

13. Remember when Obama ran on transparency as a rebuke to George W Bush? I do.

[Barack_America]

16. I, in fact, do. And it's one of the reasons I campaigned for him.

The public option was the other.

Joke's on me...again.

[Octafish]

14. Given what NAFTA did for the average American, I can see why.

For the wealthy, well, NAFTA's another story.

[Zen Democrat]

17. Obama is FOR TPP. If he's blocking the correspondence, it's because he's covering for her.

[KoKo]

21. She is part of his Legacy.

At this point in his Presidency he doesn't want anything to tarnish him and Hillary has enough baggage that's going to be a full time job. But, Obama will be in DC for two more years and there probably is a job he is going to be offered in the Clinton Admin II that will enable him to take care of any "legacy Problems" that come up. I hoped for better from Obama.

[NorthCarolina]

18. What could possibly be the most logical explanation for blocking this until

after the election is over?

Curious move.....

[Broward]

19. A Third Way corporatist looking out for another Third Way corporatist

and doing anything to protect his treasured TPP.