Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs
Home : Graphics On : Privacy Policy    Sign up for Email: Search:
	Press Releases July 08, 2003   LIEBERMAN: 9-11 PANEL CAN'T DO ITS WORK WITHOUT WHITE HOUSE HELP   WASHINGTON - Governmental Affairs Committee Ranking Member Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., Tuesday expressed serious concern that the Administration may be impeding the work of the independent commission investigating the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. While praising the efforts made by the bipartisan commission so far, Lieberman said that the Administration - particularly the FBI, CIA, and the Departments of Justice and Defense - may be using delaying tactics in an attempt to run out the clock on the commission, which has a reporting deadline of May 27, 2004. “This Administration has opposed at every turn the creation of an independent commission to investigate the tragedy of September 11th,” Lieberman said. “I am extremely concerned that the Administration’s opposition has now taken another form. By delaying its response to the Commission’s information requests, the Administration may now be hoping to run out the clock. “The Commission cannot do its job without help from the White House to ensure the agencies provide the requested documents within the next few weeks. The President must deliver on his pledge to cooperate fully with the Commission. To date, that hasn’t happened.” All Commission requests for information are funneled through a single contact, an adviser for Attorney General Ashcroft. Past inquiries, such as the Congressional intelligence committees’ inquiry into September 11, sent their requests directly to the relevant agency. The Administration’s creation of a single point of contact could effectively create a bottleneck, slowing down the process. It also would allow the Administration to slow the process at will. In a story published in the Wall Street Journal on Tuesday, White House Communications Director Dan Bartlett hinted that the Administration intends to choke off the flow of information to get its way on disputes with the independent commission. Mr. Bartlett said, “Obviously until an agreement is reached in particular areas no one is going to produce anything in particular.”   ###   Printable Version   « previous Press Release next Press Release »   1998 - 1999 - 2000 - 2001 - 2002 - 2003 - 2004 - 2005 - 2006 - 2007 July 2003 Press Releases June   |  August   --   2002   |  2004     July 31 - Lieberman Presses for Administration Leadership, Accountability Pursues Declassification of 27 Redacted Pages   July 30 - Government Privacy Protections Fall Short   July 29 - White House Creating Impression it Has Something to Hide   July 28 - Lieberman Takes President, Fellow Democrats to Task on Security, Foreign Policy   July 25 - Dodd, Lieberman Announce $1 Million for Fire Fighters   July 24 - Lieberman Seeks Explanation for "Clear Evidence" of Use of Arbitrary Quotas in Competing Federal Jobs   July 24 - Did Bush Administration do Everything that Could Have Been Done?   July 24 - First Responders Need Additional Resources   July 24 - Lieberman Laments Lack of Homeland Security Resources   July 23 - DLC/PPI: More Evidence of Poor Homeland Security Record   July 16 - Lieberman Challenges Administration Refusal to Acknowledge Security Vulnerabilities   July 11 - DOT IG Documents Abuse of Federal Resources   July 10 - Lieberman Asks Homeland Security IG to Reopen Texas Probe Into Abuse of Federal Authority, First Report Abdicated Key Responsibility   July 9 - Lieberman Warns of Too Little Action on Transportation Security   July 8 current Press Release   July 8 - Lieberman Responds to Bio Terror Report   July 2 - Lieberman Seeks Transparency on Interior's Plans for Highways Through Pristine Public Lands   July 1 - U.S. Intelligence Burdened by Same Handicaps That Failed the Nation on 9/11
About the Committee | Hearings | Legislation & Nominations | Press | Issues | Subcommittees | Committee Documents | Related Links
Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs 340 Dirksen Senate Office Building Washington, D.C. 20510