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Politics : PRESIDENT GEORGE W. BUSH -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: calgal who wrote (190502)	10/10/2001 12:47:08 AM
From: calgal	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 769667

Bush Scolds Blabbermouth Congress for Endangering Troops NewsMax.com Wires Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2001 WASHINGTON - President Bush Tuesday scolded Congress for leaking sensitive information that could endanger U.S. troops. But lawmakers insisted they still needed classified briefings, and he agreed to broaden the number of congressmen receiving classified briefings. Bush initially defended his recent memo limiting some sensitive briefings to just eight members of Congress, while signaling that Congress might get more information if lawmakers clamp down on apparent leaks that could endanger U.S. troops. "I took it upon myself to notify the leadership of the Congress that I intend to protect our troops. And that's why I sent the letter I sent," Bush said at a White House press conference with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder. "I understand there may be some heartburn on Capitol Hill. But I suggest if they want to relieve that heartburn that they take their positions very seriously and that they take any information they've been given by our government very seriously, because this is serious business we're talking about." Lawmakers expressed anger and contrition that Congress has been the source of leaks, but said they would press Bush to continue classified briefings with lawmakers under some new arrangement to prevent security breaches. The administration must continue to brief lawmakers who have a duty under the Constitution to oversee the executive branch of government, lawmakers from both parties said. Senate plurality leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., said he was "outraged" by any leaks of classified information. He called for an investigation. "But the Congress has a Constitutional role involving oversight," Daschle said. "And that involves the sharing of information." The Oct. 5 Bush memo limits administration security briefings about "classified or sensitive law enforcement information" to eight members of Congress - the leaders of each party in the House and Senate, plus the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate intelligence committees. The president reversed course later Tuesday after a meeting with a bipartisan group of lawmakers. 'Angry as the Devil' "It will be broader than that," said Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations committee of the eight-member limit. "He talked straight. He said he was angry. He was angry as the devil. If I had been president I would have sent the same darn memo." Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C., the ranking Republican on the Foreign Relations Committee, and Reps. Henry J. Hyde, R-Ill., and Tom Lantos, D-Calif., both from the House International Relations Committee, traveled to the White House for a meeting after Bush's blast at Congress. Lantos said he told Bush that constitutional law required the president to brief members of Congress, even during war. Congress has a duty to oversee the executive arm, Lantos said. White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan told United Press International that the president realized a memo did not supercede law and the circle of congressional members allowed access to briefings would indeed be widened. Buchan said the president wanted to send Congress a strong, clear message that classified information must remain classified. Although the Oct. 5 memo referred only to "law enforcement" briefings, members were concerned about the scope of the restrictions it placed on their access. Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Sen. Carl Levin, R-Mich., said earlier Tuesday that a briefing with Pentagon officials set for later this week had been postponed while Congress and the White House interpreted the memo. "We need to have classified briefings," Levin said. White House officials earlier Tuesday defended the decision to limit the briefings. "It's an effort to make certain that Congress has the information that it needs while making certain that nobody is put in a position where they inadvertently would give any information that could harm anybody's life as a very sensitive military campaign is underway," said White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer. Fleischer would not comment on any particular news article that might have precipitated the memo. Republicans in Congress, however, said Bush reacted to an Oct. 5 story in the Washington Post about a security briefing delivered to Congress. According to that story, administration officials reportedly predicted a "100 percent" chance of a future terrorist attack if the U.S. strikes Afghanistan. Some lawmakers said privately that sensitive news stories that appear to originate in Congress come from the administration instead. The Washington Post story cites "sources familiar with the briefing." Lawmakers also said they would go around Bush's ban, if necessary, by seeking briefings from members in the group of eight briefed by the administration. Copyright 2001 by United Press International. All rights reserved. newsmax.com