Here we go again with the liberal Milwaukee paper trying to make something out of nothing.
What goes on at the state Department of Justice stays in the state Department of Justice.
So says Attorney General Brad Schimel.
On Aug. 10, staffers at his agency were sent an email instructing them to sign a nondisclosure agreement barring them from revealing any confidential information about their work — not just during their time in office but even after they leave the state.
The email then included a spreadsheet with the names of 129 employees who had yet to sign the one-page statement.
“If your name is on the attached list, please print and sign the attached Agreement,” the email says.
According to a copy of the agreement, it applies not just to current full-time employees but also “limited term employees, contractors, interns, externs and law enforcement partners.”
The DOJ deals with some of the most sensitive and confidential information in government. As long as they are equally vigilant about providing public information subject to the open records law, we citizens want DOJ employees to keep the rest confidential.
The “liberal Milwaukee paper” that endorsed Walker and Kasich? That paid Christian Schneider to carry water for the WisGOP for years?
As for open records, the AG’s own public records guide warns about confidentiality agreements:
Surely there were existing policies within the DOJ regarding access to confidential material, and that they were not previously exposing it to transient interns and externs.
Owen:
Having worked for a State (not WI) gov’t for 22 years now and in a regulatory capacity, my internal BS meter tells me that a sudden surge to get loyalty oaths signed means that there’s something out there the State REALLY doesn’t want the public to know because it would make the State look REALLY bad.
If you click through the link and actually read the document yu would see that this is about training and guidance on following DOJ policies and procedures regarding sensitive and confidential information.
DOJ also trains its employees on open records and retention policies and procedures but MJS conveniently leaves that out of the article.
Here’s Bruce Murphy’s piece on the non-disclosure.