OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) — A libertarian think tank is suing Governor Chris Gregoire’s office for withholding public records on the basis of “executive privilege.”
Under the state’s Public Records Act, records of state agencies must be made available to the public upon request unless they’re covered by a statutory exemption, such as proprietary information or medical records.
The Freedom Foundation’s complaint argues that executive privilege is not among the exemptions spelled out in law.
The foundation says the governor’s office has cited executive privilege at least 500 times. And it contends executive privilege should only cover communication between Gregoire and her closest aides. It claims she has expanded that to a far larger category of records
The records in question include documents about the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement options and medical marijuana legislation.
