(TargetLiberty.org) – Joe Biden campaigned on a wide array of promises, but many of them have already been broken with less than two months in office. So much for promised increased transparency.
Barack Obama signed two executive memoranda his first day in office, urging increased governmental transparency. Biden signed a fistful of executive actions his first day, dozens his first two months in office — none of them focused on transparency.
Frustrated by his behavior, a coalition of 43 groups sent a letter on February 22 to Biden calling for more openness by his administration. “Transparency is foundational” to a properly functioning government, the letter reminded him. The letter also stated that “accessibility should be the default… mode” of the government.
Roughly two and a half weeks later, Biden remains hidden from members of the media, setting off alarm bells on both sides of the aisle.
Biden Faces Increased Scrutiny
Halfway through his first 100 days in office, Biden hasn’t held a single solo news conference on his own. It’s the longest any sitting president has gone without conducting one in nearly 100 years.
Putting this in perspective, he’s gone longer without a solo press conference than the 15 presidents who came before him. That number goes all the way back to Herbert Hoover, who served as president from 1929 to 1933, the time of the Great Depression.
Members of the media and legislators have questioned Biden’s absence. He also remained in the background when it comes to calls to many foreign leaders, leaving the task to Vice President Kamala Harris.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) blasted Biden for avoiding press conferences during a recent appearance on Fox News. He also suggested Harris had already begun her transition to taking over the administration in his absence.
Mike McCurry, Bill Clinton’s former press secretary told ABC News on March 11 that presidential press conferences were an “indispensable part of the presidency.” Perhaps someone should remind Biden.
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