Biden White House releases first virtual visitor logs

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The Biden White House released its first round of visitor logs Friday in an effort to "restore integrity, transparency, and trust in government," the administration said.

The logs include a list of 400 individuals who visited the White House campus during the month of January for tours, appointments and business meetings.

The White House said it expects an increase in visitors as the coronavirus pandemic continues to subside across the U.S.

BIDEN WHITE HOUSE NOT RELEASING VIRTUAL VISITOR LOGS AS WATCHDOGS CALL FOR TRANSPARENCY

"The Biden-Harris Administration will be the first administration to post visitor logs from its first full year in office," the White House said in a statement Friday, adding that new logs will be released on a monthly basis going forward.

In contrast, the Trump White House did not release any visitor log records due to national security and privacy concerns.

The Biden White House also said that in keeping with the Obama administration’s transparency policy, they would not be releasing any records that "implicate privacy, national security, or other concerns."

The current administration came under some scrutiny earlier this year for their slow release of the White House’s visitor logs.

Led by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), 43 open-government organizations penned a letter to President Biden urging him to make transparency a top priority of his administration. 

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The White House also said it does not plan to release records regarding virtual meeting attendees, despite the frequency at which Zoom meetings have been held during the pandemic.

Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona were among the first recorded visitors to the White House.

Brooke Singman contributed to this report.