Larry Downing/Reuters
Though the Obama administration has promised since its first day in power to increase government transparency, it has failed to do so, according to a new analysis by the Associated Press. It reveals that last year, the Obama administration censored more government files and outright denied access to them under the Freedom of Information Act more often than ever. Last year, the government denied access on national-security grounds 8,496 times, a 57 percent increase from the previous year and more than double Obama's first year in office. Last year the government censored or denied access to documents in 244,675 cases, or 36 percent of all requests. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) said, "I'm concerned the growing trend toward relying upon FOIA exemptions to withhold large swaths of government information is hindering the public's right to know. If you screw up in government, just mark it top secret.”