Jon Stewart Quotes

Secrecy is an instrument of conspiracy; it ought not, therefore, to be the system of a regular government

The liberties of a people never were, nor ever will be, secure, when the transactions of their rulers may be concealed from them.

Ever since I arrived in Washington in April 2009, I have been fighting for more transparency and accountability in government.

On taking office, Obama promised the 'most transparent' administration in history; yet his record as president has been anything but transparent.

Secrecy in government, in the public mind, becomes synonymous with deception in government.

Can the public business be thus transacted and in secret?

… a guarantee of public access to government information is indispensable in the long run for any democratic society.... if officials make public only what they want citizens to know, then publicity becomes a sham and accountability meaningless.

Obama's openness is a welcome change from his predecessor, who went all the way to the Supreme Court to hide the RSVP list for a single policy meeting. And transparency is intrinsically good, since in a democracy, very little government activity is legitimately secret.

I have been to the darkest corners of government, and what they fear is light.

I believe certain members of the U.S. Congress have aided in the oppression and diversion of critical information that could have revealed a fullness of truth long ago.

Government must be a transparent garment which tightly clings to the people's body.

Any unveiling is also veiling. No matter how transparent our governments want to be, governments will be selectively transparent.

There can be no faith in government if our highest offices are excused from scrutiny - they should be setting the example of transparency.

Every thing secret degenerates, even the administration of justice; nothing is safe that does not show how it can bear discussion and publicity.

When I was at the CIA I asked my civilian advisory board to tackle some tough questions. Among the toughest: In a political culture that every day demands more transparency and more public accountability from every aspect of national life, could American intelligence continue to survive and succeed? That jury is still out.

Politicians often claim secrecy is necessary for good governance or national security.

The pathological degree to which former Vice President Dick Cheney operated in secrecy led to government abuses that we'll probably spend years learning about.

Many state parole boards claim exemptions from state sunshine laws that would be unthinkable for other government officials.

Why does the White House sometimes seem so determined to close the door on the people's right to know what their government is doing?

There is a veil of secrecy that is descending around the administration which I think is unseemly

The most secretive White House in modern history has learned the hard way …that it must reveal a pretty steady stream of secrets.

I have been instructed by cabinet and caucus members at our last secret meeting that we need more openness in government, but, like, not too much.

The people have the right to know what their Agents are doing or have done, and it should not be in the option of the Legislature to conceal their proceedings.

The CIA claims that secrecy is necessary to hide what it's doing from enemies of the United States ... the real reason for secrecy is to hide what the CIA is doing from the American people.

People in power tend to be not as enthusiastic about open records as they were before they came to power.