In a November 4 editorial, The Washington Times wrote that "[o]ne of the most important lessons of political history is that the cover-up is usually worse than the crime. President Obama ought to take note of this as he heads into the next two years of divided government and before he finds his administration mired in unnecessary legal battles." The Times further stated that the Obama administration “should cooperate with new committee chairmen” in GOP investigations of the White House.

From the Times editorial titled, “Memo to Obama: Don't lawyer up”:

One of the most important lessons of political history is that the cover-up is usually worse than the crime. President Obama ought to take note of this as he heads into the next two years of divided government and before he finds his administration mired in unnecessary legal battles.

Democratic insiders are in a frenzy over the prospect of newly empowered House Republicans bombarding the White House with subpoenas. Some former Clinton administration officials are advising the Obama administration to fight tooth and nail, as reported in Politico's lead story Thursday, headlined “Memo to White House: Lawyer Up.” This advice is dangerous. The easiest way to nip investigations in the bud is to act with such transparency that the inquiries become unnecessary.

President Obama's first two years have followed too much the Clinton (and Nixon) pattern of stonewalling. The administration blocked legitimate probes into the firing of AmeriCorps Inspector General Gerald Walpin. It sidestepped questions about its job offers to Senate candidates Joe Sestak in Pennsylvania and Andrew Romanoff in Colorado. It dodged requests for documents related to various financial-system bailouts and immigration enforcement. Worse, it has gone beyond ordinary evasive maneuvering into an earth-scorching effort to conceal the deliberations and policy choices made in the New Black Panther Party voter-intimidation case.