WASHINGTON — The Democratic-controlled House, saying that the Bush White House has deleted hundreds of thousands of e-mails, including some relevant to congressional investigations, passed legislation Wednesday to tighten controls over electronic messages sent through federal agencies.
“Despite the importance of these records, serious deficiencies exist in the way e-mails are preserved, both by the White House and federal agencies,” said bill sponsor Henry Waxman, D-Calif., chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
The White House responded with a veto threat, saying the measure would result in “an excessive and inappropriate” intrusion into the activities of an incumbent president and his or her staff.
Democrats, in explaining the need for the legislation, cited the use by White House officials — including former senior adviser Karl Rove — of Republican National Committee e-mail accounts to conduct government business. They said that resulted in the potential destruction of hundreds of thousands of e-mails.
The bill requires the archivist of the United States to establish standards for the capture, management and preservation of White House and other federal agency e-mails. The bill, which covers the executive branch of the government, directs the archivist to annually certify whether the White House meets records-management controls set by the legislation.
It passed 286-137 and now goes to the Senate, where its future is uncertain.
