Gov. Wes Moore said his administration understands his position on government accountability and transparency after being asked about his administration’s use of self-deleting chat messages on Friday.
“I think the people of not just the state, but the people of my administration, understand the kind of accountability, transparency measures that not just that I push for, but that I demand,” the Democratic governor said.
The governor’s comments come after Banner reporting revealed his staff was setting internal chat messages to auto-delete after 24 hours, leaving no trace of the government business discussed.
Moore said he had not read the news report: “So I have to get back to you on that.”
The Banner requested Google Chat messages over a 24-hour period from a sample of key government officials.
The Moore administration’s 456-page response showed common use of self-deleting messages among the governor’s top advisers, legal counsel, deputies, communications staff, Cabinet secretaries and top agency officials when discussing and coordinating responses to a host of state matters during the height of the federal government shutdown in October.
The documents included screenshots of time-stamped messages between state officials. At the top of most of the chats it says “HISTORY IS OFF” and “Messages sent with history off are deleted after 24 hours.”
Staff appear to be discussing government business, such as the president’s use of the National Guard in Portland, Oregon and funding for the Maryland Food Bank, among other topics.
Not all government records need to be kept in perpetuity. State law requires every “unit of state government” to have a record retention policy. The Office of the Governor doesn’t have one.
Moore spokesman Ammar Moussa said in a statement that Google Chat is an approved government platform, and the administration “complies fully” with Maryland law. In a later statement, the administration seemingly softened its position saying it “worked to comply” with Maryland records laws.
Attorneys versed in public records laws and records retention experts said auto-deleting public records can erode the public’s trust in government.
Public records laws err on the side of disclosure and retention, they said, and those policy protects employees from inadvertently erasing a potential piece of history.
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