Kaine Declines -- Again -- to Release Records

It should come as no surprise that Gov. Tim Kaine today refused to release information about his travel on behalf of the Democratic National Committee to the Associated Press.

Kaine's office has declined similar requests by the Washington Post and the Republican Party of Virginia citing state law that exempts the "governor's working papers" from open records.

Kaine's office typically releases a public schedule of gubernatorial events that includes speeches, bill signings and news conferences -- but does not include appointments in his office, activities for the national party or fundraisers for his in-state political action committee, Moving Virginia Forward.

Kaine has said that anyone who wants to know where he is can just ask him when they see him, but he won't let his spokesmen say where he is when he is not around. That answer has not stopped a growing firestorm by open-government advocates, newspapers and critics over his refusal to disclose his schedule.