CREW: “IS THE VICE PRESIDENT CREATING A FOURTH BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT?”

Washington, DC – In light of new revelations that Vice President Cheney is claiming that his office is not subject to an executive order governing the handling of classified information because as president of the Senate he has both legislative and executive duties, CREW asks if Vice President Cheney is attempting to create a fourth branch of the government?


Under his argument, if Mr. Cheney is not subject to executive branch security requirements, surely he must be subject to Senate rules.


To safeguard sensitive information, in 1987 the Senate created the Office of Senate Security, which is part of the Secretary of the Senate. The Security Office’s standards, procedures and requirements are set out in the Senate Security Manual, which is binding on all employees of the Senate.


So, if Mr. Cheney is a member of the Senate, he must adhere to the following:
•a requirement that any of his staff needing access to classified information undergo a security clearance and complete written non-disclosure agreements;
•physical security requirements, that the Security Office is empowered to implement, including any necessary inspections;
•investigations of suspected security violations by employees, such as the security violation committed by Scooter Libby when he unlawfully disclosed the identity of Valerie Plame Wilson, then a covert CIA operative.


In addition, Mr. Cheney and his staff would be subject to investigation by the Senate Ethics Committee, which has the responsibility to investigate allegations of improper conduct which may reflect upon the Senate, including violations of law and the rules and regulations of the Senate.
Melanie Sloan, executive director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington said Mr. Cheney’s arguments raise new questions:


“Since there is no fourth branch of government to which Mr. Cheney could belong, by claiming the Office of the Vice President is within the legislative branch does Mr. Cheney agree that he is subject to Senate security procedures?”


“Mr. Cheney’s office refused to describe its 2003 classification activities to the National Archives and Record Administration (NARA), but is he now willing to describe them to the Senate Security Office?”
“If Mr. Cheney does not believe that NARA’s Information Security Oversight Office can conduct on-sight inspection of Mr. Cheney’s office to see how sensitive material is handled, does he agree that the Senate Security Office can conduct such an inspection?”


What is the fourth branch of government?



In the American political system, the fourth branch of government refers to a group that influences the three branches of governance defined in the American Constitution (legislative, judicial, and executive). Such groups can include the press (an analogy to the French Fourth Estate), the people, interest groups. U.S. independent administrative government agencies, while technically part of the executive branch (or, in a few cases, the legislative branch) of government, are sometimes referred to as being part of the fourth branch.


In some cases the term is pejorative because such a fourth branch has no official status (except when referring to government agencies). The term is also widely used as a picturesque phrase without derogatory intent. Where the use is intended to be pejorative, it can be a rhetorical shorthand to illustrate the user's belief in the illegitimacy of certain types of governmental authority with a concomitant skepticism towards whence such authority originates.



What is interesting is that there is no mention of a person that can hold a position such as VP, Senator, Governor, etc. for the fourth branch of government. Also, there isn't any prior VP that had a fourth branch government? So, what makes Mr. 9% so special?