Congress Prods Justice Dept. on Secrecy

Congress is redoubling its efforts to get info from the Justice Department, the Washington Post reports. Requests for classified documents have languished for as long as 3 years, and the contretemps between Congress and Alberto Gonzales over their disclosure has improved little under the new AG, Michael Mukasey. "We agree that there is always room for improvement in our effort to be responsive to Congress," said a DoJ spokesman.

Mukasey has promised to end the stonewalling on congressional inquiries into warrantless wiretapping, the treatment of detainees, and even no-bid contracts. But the spokesman says the department is backed up with requests. Judiciary Committee chairman Patrick Leahy isn’t buying it; he accuses DoJ of continuing to conceal “the secret justifications of presidential lawlessness that we have sought for years.”