[RealJustme]

:shock:

WASHINGTON — The White House is removing a federal regulation that subjects the White House Office of Administration to the Freedom of Information Act.

The White House said the cleanup of FOIA regulations is consistent with past court rulings that held that the White House shouldn't be subject to the transparency law.

The timing of the move raised eyebrows among transparency advocates, coming on National Freedom of Information Day and during a national debate over the preservation of Obama administration records. It's also Sunshine Week, an effort by news organizations and watchdog groups to highlight issues of government transparency.

"The irony of this being Sunshine Week is not lost on me," said Anne Weismann of the liberal Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, or CREW. "Another law changed overnight by Obama with a pen stroke."

"It is completely out of step with the president's supposed commitment to transparency," she said.