Cheney ordered to preserve VP records

Calcutta News.Net
Saturday 20th September, 2008

In the US, a federal judge has ordered Vice-President, Dick Cheney, to preserve the records from his time as vice president.

The decision has set back the Bush Administration, which has been attempting to change the definition of materials that must be safeguarded under by the Presidential Records Act.

US District Judge, Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, said the Bush administration's insistence on making the changes had heightened the court's concern about the safety of the documents.

A private group, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, is suing Cheney to ensure that no presidential records are destroyed or mis-handled.

The lawsuit, which alleges that the Bush administration's actions have raised questions over whether the White House will turn over records created by Cheney and his staff to the National Archives.

Recently, lawyers for the Bush administration said they would only agree to a preservation order that tracked a narrowed interpretation of the Presidential Records Act.

Cheney's position is that his office is not part of the executive branch of government.

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