What Happened to Banking Department Internet Posts? Newborn Baby, Exhaustion Raised as Explanation for Disappearing Documents.

The information age can be a burden for public officials. Testimony of former Connecticut Department of Banking official Bruce Adams at a November 15th Freedom of Information Commission was right royal train wreck. Adams published a long series of social media posts critical of Payday Lenders and Native American sovereignty issues that intersected at the department.

The hearing did not go well for Adams and the department. His social media posts on the matter disappeared around the time of an FOI request seeking all documents. Did they disappear before the request or after? That is the operative question. Adams’ memory was clouded by the birth of a baby and his short family leave. He recalls standing at home in his underwear, exhausted, and holding his baby in his arms when he received an unwelcome work call. Other than that, Adams’ memory seemed vague. The hearing, significant in the constant battle to protect access to public documents, continues in January, when it could get considerably more interesting.

Adams now serves as counsel to Lieutenant Governor Nancy Wyman, which is a more partisan an less taxing job for the confused official.

CT-N has the extended testimony here.