White House Posts Visitor Lists – Is That THE Bill Ayers? (No)
EmailFrom Jake Tapper and Sunlen Miller
Taking what officials call an "unprecedented" step in transparency, the White House released visitor logs today showing some popular names: William Ayers, Jeremiah Wright, R. Kelly, and Malik Shabazz visiting the White House.
But, no – those are not who you think they are, official say; these famous people never really visited the White House – these are other people with the same name.
"There’s an important lesson here as well," Norm Eisen, special counsel to the president for ethics and government reform writes in a blog posting on the White House website, "This unprecedented level of transparency can sometimes be confusing rather than providing clear information. A lot of people visit the White House, up to 100,000 each month, with many of those folks coming to tour the buildings. Given this large amount of data, the records we are publishing today include a few "false positives" – names that make you think of a well-known person, but are actually someone else."
For example there are 59 59 Malik Shabazz's listed at whitepages.com and 53 W. Ayers, although some of those are doubles.
The visitor logs span from January 20th – September, 15th, 2009 yet is only in response to individual request that are "reasonable, narrow, and specific." For example the White House would not release a blanket request for all of the visitor logs during that nine month period.
After this initial report, the White House now plans from now on to make each months visitor logs available online 90-120 days after.
The logs provide the following information about visitors: their full name, whom they met with, when they entered the White House and when they left.
The White House's claim of unprecedented transparency is accurate, good government groups say, but it comes stapled to a mess of caveats.
Before the logs are released each month, the White House counsel's office will review them and remove those covered by the exemptions being made for national security reasons, and the privacy of the First and Second Families pertaining to personal visits that do not involve any official or political business.
Case by case exemptions also will be made for those visits of political sensitivity – like Supreme Court candidates.
Other exemptions, the White House says, will be for records "that implicate personal privacy or law enforcement concerns (e.g., dates of birth, social security numbers, and contact phone numbers)," and records that implicate the personal safety of White House staff, including their daily arrival and departure times. White House officials will apparently have sole discretion as to this subjective decision-making.
In September the White House first announced that they would change this policy and voluntarily disclose White House visitor access records.
"We will achieve our goal of making this administration the most open and transparent administration in history not only by opening the doors of the White House to more Americans, but by shining a light on the business conducted inside it," President Obama said in a statement about the change of policy in September, " Americans have a right to know whose voices are being heard in the policymaking process."
The new policy was the result of the Justice Department settling lawsuits brought by the good government group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) which had sought visitor's logs from both the Obama and Bush administrations.
-Jake Tapper and Sunlen Miller
Rick Santorum Encircled in Prayer 
Boehner Slams Obama on Contraception Controversy
I can hear Beck and Hannity screaming in mutual orgasm over this list.
Posted by: Ryan C | October 30, 2009, 5:31 pm 5:31 pm
Are you kidding me?
A different Malik Shabazz? Not the head of the new BP party, the one resposible for voter assault and intimidation? The one who’s charges were “droppped” by the AG? A different one?
Riiiiiight.
A different Jeremiah Wright?
A different Bill Ayers?
Funny, no Glen Becks, or Bill OReillys on the list, although surely they have more common names…
hmmm…imagine that, what a funny coincidence…
huh.
Wake me up in 2012.
Posted by: mjishernameo | October 30, 2009, 5:40 pm 5:40 pm
I suppose it wasn’t THAT George Soros, either?
Posted by: jennifert7 | October 30, 2009, 6:01 pm 6:01 pm
The bigger the lie, etc etc
Posted by: Ben | October 30, 2009, 6:10 pm 6:10 pm
On a lighter note, I sure hope Shabazz got a chance to sleep in the Lincoln bedroom. Picture that.
Posted by: mjishernameo | October 30, 2009, 6:11 pm 6:11 pm
The truth does not matter to these rats and they assume you will never demand it anyway .
Posted by: nat turner | October 30, 2009, 6:18 pm 6:18 pm
Have a good weekend.
Posted by: Ryan C | Oct 30, 2009 6:23:58 PM
You too. Happy Halloween :>)
Posted by: Alyson | October 30, 2009, 6:36 pm 6:36 pm
Great cover names . Just a bunch of obamatrons.
Posted by: jonny | October 30, 2009, 6:40 pm 6:40 pm
Had to get sued to reveil it but forgot to remove some names but those could be anybody ya right the white house has no security,GIMMY A BREAK.
Posted by: earl | October 30, 2009, 6:42 pm 6:42 pm
I thought the famous people who visited were Brad Pitt and George Clooney. I woudl consider Bill Ayers and Jeremiah Wright infamous.
Posted by: Axey | October 30, 2009, 6:43 pm 6:43 pm
Looks like they had ACORN organize this for them.
Posted by: jonny | October 30, 2009, 6:54 pm 6:54 pm
Great plan!
Now when the real Ayers visits it will look like fake one!
Posted by: Visualize Whirled Peas | October 30, 2009, 7:15 pm 7:15 pm
Transparency? that’s the joke here.
Posted by: joeyjojo456789 | October 30, 2009, 7:22 pm 7:22 pm
It will be interesting to see what diabolical conspiracy the right wing media and its sheep-like believers will spin out of this list.
Personally, I can’t wait to read the latest fable of right wing paranoia. I love good fiction. Or even really, really bad fiction which is what most of the criticisms of the President, actually are.
Posted by: anthony | October 30, 2009, 7:37 pm 7:37 pm
Following tweets of Chuck Todd, Jake Tapper and Mark Knoller – not ONE of them are raising eyebrows on this one? Wow – hook, line and sinker.
Posted by: Laura Irish | October 30, 2009, 7:56 pm 7:56 pm
Obama’s sugar daddy George Soros was there!
Posted by: tyler | October 30, 2009, 8:17 pm 8:17 pm
Awwwww
Obama’s best friends came to visit.
Oprah, Denzel, Georges Clooney and Soros, the rich lobbyist, and his very best friends—on Wall Street!
Way to show that fake outrage at Wall Street’s huge bonuses. Invite them to the WH.
So glad Obama is a different kind of politician.
Posted by: ollie | October 30, 2009, 8:28 pm 8:28 pm
How do you KNOW it’s not “the” Bill Ayers and “the” Jeremiah Wright, Jake? Has the White House provided any proof of that, or are you just being a good little boy and taking their word for it?
Posted by: Brian | October 30, 2009, 8:34 pm 8:34 pm
Thank you Jake and ABC. Really. People are joking here and making sarcastic comments but it really is a big deal that this administration is way out of line.
There are many, many level-headed people who are simply disturbed by all the hard evidence that Obama is… well… radical. It’s beyond the point of denial.
I would typically be the last person to jump on this bandwagon but Fox nailed it. I watched Beck make the case thinking he was a lunatic but he backs it up with videos of everyone around Obama. Then I did the research myself. Honestly, how can I dispute that as the typical witch hunt? It’s right there.
Anyway. Let the college kids make jokes but geeze.
Thank you Jake,
Blake
Posted by: Blake | October 30, 2009, 8:34 pm 8:34 pm
“But, no – those are not who you think they are, official say; these famous people never really visited the White House – these are other people with the same name. ”
Okay, use YOUR brain Jake!!!
I’m going to wave the BS flag here. I have two questions for you.
Question #1 is this list reflecting the rank-andfile employees and thier visitors, or specifically those that visited the oval office? Well here is the thing, LOOK at the list, and notice there is a slider bar at the bottom.
Now sort by last name (Ayers william is number 1 and 2) and scroll to the right.
Notice the fields at the top move too, they hold all sorts of great information fields. like Where the meeting took place (Meeting_loc and Meeting_room) and who they were visiting (visitee_namelast) and who arrainged the meeting (Caller_namelast)
Now Jake.. Sort the data, all the meetings that took place in the “Residence” (you know the presidents actual living quarters) and Caller_name_last of “Office” Caller_Name_first of “visitor” and the person they were visiting Visitee_namelast
Do you see a common theme with the controversial names? hmmm.
Question #2 Why are we only given a list of 481 names as visitors to the whitehouse, with a smattering of them listed as part of different tour groups? is this a factual list to include tour groups or not? if it isn’t then why are there a handful of tours listed, that are associated with the controversial names?
Me thinks this rabbit-hole goes deeper, or it is a sham.
Posted by: Flabbergasted | October 30, 2009, 9:18 pm 9:18 pm
What a surprise.
George Soros has been to the White House multiple times.
For those who don’t know please research Soros’ worldview.
It should scare the heck out of anyone that loves the Constitution and freedom.
Posted by: luke | October 30, 2009, 9:20 pm 9:20 pm
One person we won’t see on that list—General McCrystal.
Posted by: riley | October 30, 2009, 9:21 pm 9:21 pm
Transparent? What? Obama has lied and kept lying…how can you say transparent with a straight face?
Posted by: VeryPainfulTruth | October 30, 2009, 9:28 pm 9:28 pm
I don’t think that it is a good idea for the public to know everything that goes on in the White House. What happened to national security?
Posted by: FMJ | October 30, 2009, 9:42 pm 9:42 pm
Man, are conservatives that desperate for affirmation?
But the cake taker is the guy who still believes Obama is a radical! lol
Posted by: Von Cracker | October 30, 2009, 10:34 pm 10:34 pm
I cannot believe that there is actually another William Ayers that would visit the White House or Jeremiah Wright! Are we really supposed to believe that…Please don’t insult our intelligence.
Posted by: djnfla | October 30, 2009, 10:51 pm 10:51 pm
Why did I know someone will insist that the White House is lying about Ayers. Heaven forbid that there are two people connected by six degrees of separation named William Ayers. I mean after all no one else could possibly have that name. Besides, we know that Obama lies and everyone connected to him lies and the only people we should believe is Limbaugh, Beck, Hannity and Fox. Oh my, I better go to Fox and see what I’m supposed to believe about this list.
Posted by: catmom | October 30, 2009, 11:43 pm 11:43 pm
Good job catmom you should go to Fox to get the TRUTH instead of being a blind follower like the other liberals
Posted by: Scott | October 31, 2009, 12:37 am 12:37 am
And still waiting to see who came to visit the White House under Chimpy and Darth Cheney.
Posted by: Shades | October 31, 2009, 1:45 am 1:45 am
What a surprise.
George Soros has been to the White House multiple times.
For those who don’t know please research Soros’ worldview.
It should scare the heck out of anyone that loves the Constitution and freedom.
Posted by: luke | Oct 30, 2009 9:20:12 PM
****************************************
And the Rev. Sun Moon, who owns The Washington Times, the great paper conservatives love, had lunch with Bush. Only you would not know that because Bush never let it be known who he ate with. You remember Moonies don’t you?
Posted by: Secondlook | October 31, 2009, 2:09 am 2:09 am
Jake, Bush used to release visitors logs too. Never all. There’s nothing unprecedented about Obama’s act. Are you missing a /sarc tag?
Posted by: WB | October 31, 2009, 2:35 am 2:35 am
This has to be the funniest story yet.
Yes, Bill Ayers and Jeremiah Wright are on the log but they never actually visited the WH.
Oh. OK.
Let’s see…did it just rain and I came down with the last drop?
Must have.
Thanks for the “change I can believe in.” I feel a lot better.
Posted by: Lone Star Rules | October 31, 2009, 7:52 am 7:52 am
This is transparency? You have got to be kidding? Read the AP story. Obama submits the list after being taken to court by CREW. Obama omits names off the list that he feels shouldn’t be released? Dozens of lobbyists, big businessmen, union heads, and Obama donors on the list? Yeah, this is change alright.
Posted by: dvd3g | October 31, 2009, 8:27 am 8:27 am
Transparency??? Hardly. Just more cynical and disingenuous politics from a slick Obama administration. The visitor list is scrubbed, but baited with names to keep conspiracy theories alive. That way, Obama and his cult followers can appear “relatively” sane. BTW: See Glen Beck for some substantiated truths about the Obama administration.
Posted by: Political Bait | October 31, 2009, 10:41 am 10:41 am
One person we won’t see on that list—General McCrystal.by Riley:
I saw that, too. I guess Obama thought meeting with Michael Moore so much more important than untangling the mess that has been escalating since he took office. Priorities.
Oh, who the hell is William Smith…he sure seems to be more important than anyone. Me thinks this is code for something really shady. They might has well used Snow White.
Posted by: lightfighter92 | October 31, 2009, 11:11 am 11:11 am
Will some journalist be investigating who these other William Ayers, Jeremiah Wright, R. Kelly, and Malik Shabazzes are? It is hard to believe that out of the ~200 million people listed on WhitePages.com, there are ~50 instances of these names, who just HAPPEN to be the same as these other inflammatory people who ALSO know Obama, and these rare birds just happen to have also visited the White House. Not saying it’s not possible, but highly unlikely and I would like to see someone investigate who these name-twins are.
Posted by: Chiara | October 31, 2009, 4:23 pm 4:23 pm
Scott… Fox News wouldn’t know the truth if, it got in bed with it.
Posted by: Mary | October 31, 2009, 8:16 pm 8:16 pm
Over 100,000 people visit the white house each month. The list published is a list of all visitors WHO MATCH THE NAMES FROM INDIVIDUAL REQUESTS that are “reasonable, narrow, and specific”
That means the 481 names you are seeing are only those that match names requested of the White House.
This article could do a much better job of explaining why it look like, of the 481 visitors to the white house, a bunch of them are named William Ayers. In reality, a bunch of people named William Ayers visited…along with 100,000 other people.
Figure it out, people. Seriously. If your favorite opinutainment “news anchor” led you to believe that Jeremiah Wright or Michael Moore visited the white house, you have to question the accuracy and truth of that newsperson, cause they just misled you.
Posted by: justin k | November 1, 2009, 2:45 am 2:45 am
“Fox News wouldn’t know the truth if, it got in bed with it.”
LOL! That must be why their ratings are skyrocketing, esp. among Independents and moderate Democrats.
I will say that Tapper does a good job for ABC. Best journalist they have.
Posted by: Jenn | November 1, 2009, 11:06 am 11:06 am
“Scott… Fox News wouldn’t know the truth if, it got in bed with it”
Spoken like a true Obama Kool (Kook?) Aid Chugger.
Posted by: Robert | November 1, 2009, 12:19 pm 12:19 pm
“Scott… Fox News wouldn’t know the truth if, it got in bed with it”
Spoken like a true Obama Kool (Kook?) Aid Chugger.
Posted by: Robert | Nov 1, 2009 12:19:23 PM
———–
Spoken like a true O’Reilly (O’Righty) addict.
Posted by: Rudy | November 1, 2009, 4:48 pm 4:48 pm
Not the same Bill Ayers and Rev Wright? …give us a break!
I’m ashamed that we elected any of these nut-jobs.
Posted by: Shane | November 2, 2009, 4:09 pm 4:09 pm
If you wanna really feel fear, google william smith.
Google takes you right to a wikipedia site.
A marxist, anti semite who is awaiting charges stemming from inciting a riot.
hmmmmm.
Posted by: mjishernameo | November 2, 2009, 4:41 pm 4:41 pm
So, if a name shows up they can always say, “But, it’s not the radical one”…yeah right! Some good reporter should check out the truth of this. Was it Bill Ayers and Reve Wright. Is there any way to know for sure? Video cameras, maybe some other visitor that took a pic of them?
Posted by: eveh | November 3, 2009, 12:06 am 12:06 am