Fannie Mae Preferred S (FNMAS)

[navycmdr]

Judge rejects Obama administration secrecy on Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac

Documents could yield clues on Treasury Department’s dealings
with mortgage giants ...


By Jim McElhatton - The Washington Times - Sunday, August 24, 2014

A federal judge has issued a stinging rebuke to the Obama administration’s recent attempt To shield
documents from disclosure in a case that could yield important clues about the Treasury Department’s
relationship with mortgage giants Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

Government lawyers had argued they could redact key information before releasing records To the
public by saying the documents related to the “deliberative process.” But in a ruling

Last month, U.S. Federal Claims Court Judge Margaret M. Sweeney rejected that, saying
the Government was illegally cutting corners.

“Defendant asserts that the court should merely take its word that the documents — some of
which defendant itself has not reviewed — are privileged. This is contrary to law.”

The ruling means discovery in the case can continue, though there’s still a protective motion
in place, so it’s unclear when or whether documents will be made public.
Still, government watchdogs cheered the ruling, saying it represented an important pushback
against a tool in the administration’s increasingly use of the exemption to try to keep
embarrassing information secret.

Read more: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/aug/24/judge-rejects-obama-administration-secrecy-on-fann/#ixzz3BP6LX0mF
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