Brickbat: Transparent Government
A Justice Department attorney tried to kick a reporter out of a public meeting in New Iberia, Louisiana. Rachel Hranitzky entered a meeting being held on hiring practices in the city's fire department, which is under a federal consent decree, and announced that the meeting could not be recorded and she could not be quoted by the media. When a reporter asked what law allowed her to make those demands, she said it was Justice Department policy. She said if the reporter didn't follow her demands the Justice Department could call his editor and publisher.