President Obama noted this in his press conference, but, after the group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington threatened to file suit, he’s released a list of executives who’ve attended White House health care meetings.
There aren’t any big surprises. In a letter, White House counsel Gregory Craig writes “Given the compelling public interest in the health care debate…[t]he President has decided to exercise his discretion and release” the names of the visitors. They include, among several others, PhRMA president Bill Tauzin and AHIP president Karen Ignagni, both of whom were known to have participated in negotiations with the administration.
The initial call not to release the information came from the Secret Service, but Obama quickly reversed their decision