Nation's Chief Enforcer Puts Private Interests Above Rule of Law

"Any discretionary decision by your agency to disclose information protected under the FOIA should be made only after full and deliberate consideration of the institutional, commercial, and personal privacy interests that could be implicated by disclosure of the information."

- Attorney General John Ashcroft in a Memorandum for Heads of all Federal Departments and Agencies issued 12 October, 2001