Sharyl Attkisson: HealthCare.gov official instructed colleague to 'delete this email'

Doug P. | 4:16 PM on August 15, 2014

Reporter Sharyl Attkisson has the story about a CMS official advising another within the department to delete an email:

http://t.co/uWqA5fcQYV officials: Shhh "Delete this email…" http://t.co/tYuoCbRNeS

— Sharyl Attkisson?️‍♂️ (@SharylAttkisson) August 15, 2014

From a post at Attkisson’s website:

An email obtained by Congress shows the top official for Healthcare.gov at the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services under the Department of Health and Human Services, Marilyn Tavenner, instructed the agency’s top spokesman to “Please delete this email.”

The instruction appears significant for several reasons: First, the email to be deleted included an exchange between key White House officials and CMS officials. Second, the email was dated October 5, 2013, five days into the disastrous launch of HealthCare.gov. Third, federal law requires federal officials to retain copies of –not delete– email exchanges. And fourth, the document to be deleted is covered under Congressional subpoena as well as longstanding Freedom of Information requests made by members of the media (including me).

Read the full story here. Attkisson reports that House Energy and Commerce leaders have asked Tavenner why she advised another within the department to delete an email, and if she’s done so on more than one occasion.

Ah, transparency!