EPA's 'Richard Windsor' Emails Under Investigation

The Hill reports that the Environmental Protections Agency’s top officials are under internal investigation for using offsite email addresses and alias names to conceal their deliberations from Freedom of Information Act requests.

Its office of the inspector general wants to know whether the agency’s email practices comply with federal laws. The concern is whether correspondence through internal accounts would show up in a search for federal records.

“Our objective is to determine whether EPA follows applicable laws and regulations when using private and alias email accounts to conduct official business,” said the inspector general memo, which was made public Monday.

EPA’s inspector general said the audit follows on a congressional request. Some lawmakers have pressed EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson for answers on her alleged use of a separate internal email account under the alias “Richard Windsor.”

The problem with this is that it’s an internal investigation. Jackson didn’t come up with “Richard Windsor” for any legitimate reason. She and her cadre were interested in getting around President Obama’s promise to run the most transparent government in American history. If Obama is still interested in fulfilling that promise (if he ever was…) Jackson should be looking for a job by now. She is either violating his public orders, or complying with his less public wishes.