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Politics : Stockman Scott's Political Debate Porch -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: stockman_scott who wrote (30885)	10/31/2003 9:42:10 PM
From: Rick Faurot	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 89467

Senate Faults White House Over Iraq Documents Fri October 31, 2003 06:57 PM ET By Tabassum Zakaria WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Republican chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee singled out the White House for failing to meet a noon EST deadline on Friday to turn over documents about intelligence on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction used to justify the U.S. invasion. But Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas said the CIA and State Department had provided a "good faith response" and the committee expected to receive "a quantity of documents" from both agencies by the end of the day. "The White House has not met today's deadline. I am hopeful that the White House will recognize the importance of the committee's efforts and comply as soon as possible," Roberts said in a statement. The Senate Intelligence Committee this week sent letters to top administration officials demanding documents be turned over and interviews with officials be scheduled by the deadline. Congressional officials said that step was intended to prod the administration to provide information the panel had requested as long as five months ago for its review of the quality of U.S. intelligence on Iraq leading up to the war. At this point more drastic steps such as subpoenas were not being considered, but Sen. John Rockefeller said if the response was lacking he would be prepared to take such action. "We're not kidding around on this," the West Virginia Democrat told Reuters. Setting the deadline was "meant to be a very strong signal to them that we're tired of waiting. This is the nation's business, there is a lot at stake," he said. Critics have said President Bush and his administration may have exaggerated the threat from Iraq's banned weapons to gain support for the war. No biological or chemical weapons have been found, nor any solid evidence that Iraq was resurrecting its nuclear program. White House spokesman Scott McClellan said that even though the Senate committee has no jurisdiction over the White House, it has been working to help with the panel's Iraq review. "We are talking with them and we will continue working with them," he said from Crawford, Texas. BUSH'S CIA BRIEFING SOUGHT Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee want to finish the review by year end and focus on the intelligence agencies, while Democrats are seeking a broader scope to include a look at how the White House used the intelligence. Among the materials the committee sought from the White House were copies of the President's Daily Brief which the CIA prepares about national security developments. The White House has not provided them in the past, citing executive privilege. The committee said in its letter to White House national security adviser Condoleezza Rice that the White House had objected to the CIA providing some documents and allowing interviews with some individuals who brief administration officials. "Neither Dr. Rice nor the White House has objected to allowing the committee access to CIA documents and to the White House," said Sean McCormack, National Security Council spokesman. The committee also sought 50 to 100 documents from the CIA, in addition to thousands of documents the CIA has already turned over. "We will be providing a significant amount of material today and more will be forthcoming," said CIA spokesman Mark Mansfield. Secretary of State Colin Powell told ABC News "Nightline" that all but one document had been cleared to turn over to the committee. "We intend to cooperate fully with the Senate in this case, and so we think we have been very responsive, and we're going to give them everything they ask for and we're gonna make available to them anyone they wish to speak to." A spokesman for the Defense Department said it was working on responding to the panel's request but was unlikely to meet the deadline because of the time needed to compile the information.