Trump’s Assault on Transparency Casts Ominous Shadow Over Sunshine Week
American Oversight chronicles three big victories for government accountability — and three major threats
Despite repeated claims from President Donald Trump and his White House that he is “the most transparent president in history,” the administration has repeatedly stonewalled the public. As the 21st annual Sunshine Week kicks off today, we released the following statement and special report outlining three big victories for government accountability and three major threats amid the Trump administration’s unprecedented efforts to keep the public in the dark on issues of enormous consequence:
“President Trump and his administration frequently proclaim an unprecedented era of transparency — a claim belied by their record to date, as the public has witnessed firsthand. Consider just a few examples: military actions against Iran have proceeded without congressional authorization or a full public accounting of casualties; records of lethal immigration enforcement operations have come to light only after being forced into the open through litigation; the president has attempted to bury the Jack Smith special counsel report on classified documents; and records related to Jeffrey Epstein remain only partially released despite clear legal mandates requiring their disclosure. Instead of embracing transparency, this administration has treated the public’s right to know as an obstacle,” said our Executive Director Chioma Chukwu. “These instances form a deliberate pattern of withholding information on decisions with grave national consequences. And the human toll is undeniable: families of those thrust into conflict lack answers on the wars they fight; lethal immigration enforcement operations obscure who is targeted, when deadly force is unleashed, and why lives end unaccounted for; citizens are denied insight into the commander-in-chief’s mishandling of classified documents; and Epstein’s victims still pursue transparency on the government’s case handling. When such information is concealed, Americans grow less secure, less informed on policies shaping their lives, and less able to trust institutions meant to serve them. Transparency is a core safeguard that ensures power is exercised responsibly — and a government acting in the people’s name must ultimately answer to them.”