Senate Democrats' release: 'Tony Snow, we have some questions for you'

RAW STORY
Published: Wednesday April 26, 2006

In a somewhat striking coincidence, a series of questions issued in a press release by Sen. Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) early Wednesday morning -- before reports that Karl Rove was to testify in the CIA leak case -- struck myriad points in the CIA leak inquiry.

The release, issued to RAW STORY, follows.

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TONY SNOW, WE HAVE SOME QUESTIONS FOR YOU

With the resignation of Scott McClellan and the appointment of Tony Snow as the new White House Press Secretary, perhaps the American people will get answers to the questions Mr. McClellan refused to answer. Amid record low poll numbers, changing the face of the Bush White House won’t be enough to change course. The American people deserve answers to these crucial questions.

On The White House Leak Investigation;

McClellan Assuring the American People that Scooter Libby and Karl Rove were not Involved.

Q Scott, earlier this week you told us that neither Karl Rove, Elliot Abrams nor Lewis Libby disclosed any classified information with regard to the leak. I wondered if you could tell us more specifically whether any of them told any reporter that Valerie Plame worked for the CIA?

MR. McCLELLAN: Those individuals — I talked — I spoke with those individuals, as I pointed out, and those individuals assured me they were not involved in this. And that’s where it stands. [White House Press Briefing, 10/10/03]

Once that Explanation Didn’t Pan Out, McClellan said he Wouldn’t Comment on an Ongoing Investigation.

Q The President made his decision to declassify and release the NIE at a time when he was fighting the perception that the intelligence leading up to the war was wrong, at a time shortly prior to Mr. Libby's identification of the CIA agent as the wife of someone who was sent there in an effort to discredit the value of the trip. Why should we not believe that the timing of the President's decision was connected to the decision only days later to out the CIA agent?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, first of all, now you're getting into questions about an ongoing legal proceeding and investigation --

Q No, it's a timing question.

MR. McCLELLAN: -- you know that we've had a policy in place going back to October 2003 that we are not going to comment on it while it's ongoing. It's a very serious matter, and --

Q I'm not asking about the investigation, I'm asking you to talk about the question of the President's timing.

MR. McCLELLAN: -- I would encourage you not to make assumptions that are not based on the facts. I would encourage you to wait for the facts to be known. Mr. Fitzgerald is pursuing this legal proceeding and pursuing the investigation, and we need to let it proceed. We're not going to do anything that would jeopardize an ongoing matter like that. [White House Press Briefing, 4/10/06]

Question for the Tony Snow: The President has said that he deplores leaks yet he himself instructed Scooter Libby to leak classified information. Can you explain these contradictory statements?

McClellan Said that Anyone Involved in the White House Leak Would No Longer Be a Part of the Administration.

MR. McCLELLAN: The President has set high standards, the highest of standards for people in his administration. He’s made it very clear to people in his administration that he expects them to adhere to the highest standards of conduct. If anyone in this administration was involved in it, they would no longer be in this administration.” [White House Press Briefing, 9/29/03]

But Karl Rove is Still a Member of the Administration.

Question for Tony Snow: Whether or not Karl Rove is ultimately indicted for his role in the Plame leak investigation, it seems clear that he was at the very least “involved in” the Plame leak. Why is the President not holding Karl Rove to this high standard?

On Iraq Intelligence:

McClellan Refused to Say When the Administration Learned of a Pentagon Report Discrediting the Claim that Mobile Trailers in Iraq Were Producing Biological Weapons.

QUESTION: When did the administration become aware of the Pentagon report that talks about mobile trailers?

MCCLELLAN: The only update I have on that matter is what the Pentagon said yesterday.

The Pentagon put out a statement and talked about how that was a preliminary report from a DIA — would mean Defense Intelligence Agency — sponsored technical exploitation team. And that information was sent to the DIA. And then they said that the CIA-DIA joint white paper that was released publicly on May 28th reflected the position of the intelligence community at the time, and that the findings that you’re bringing up were vetted with other intelligence analysts during the summer of 2003.

So that’s a statement from the Pentagon, and that’s the only update I have at this point. [White House Press Briefing, 4/13/06]

The New York Times Reported Doubts About the Mobile Trailers in June of 2003. “American and British intelligence analysts with direct access to the evidence are disputing claims that the mysterious trailers found in Iraq were for making deadly germs. In interviews over the last week, they said the mobile units were more likely intended for other purposes and charged that the evaluation process had been damaged by a rush to judgment. ‘Everyone has wanted to find the 'smoking gun' so much that they may have wanted to have reached this conclusion,’ said one intelligence expert who has seen the trailers and, like some others, spoke on condition that he not be identified. He added, ‘I am very upset with the process.’” [New York Times, 6/7/03]

Question for Tony Snow: Why was the Vice President repeating the discredited claims as late as January of 2004?

McClellan Said the Congress Had Access to the Same Intelligence as the White House in the Lead Up to the Iraq War.

MR. McCLELLAN: “We provide the Congress a lot of intelligence information, and they did have access to the same intelligence that we saw prior to making the decision to go into Iraq. [White House Press Briefing, 12/16/05]

But the Nonpartisan Congressional Research Service Found that the Bush Administration Had Access “To a Far Greater Overall Volume of Intelligence and to More Sensitive Intelligence Information, Including Information Regarding Intelligence Sources and Methods.” [CRS, Congress as a Consumer of Intelligence Information, 12/14/05]

Questions for Tony Snow: With the recent troubling news coming out of Iran, how can Americans be sure that the United States does not again have its best intelligence ignored? Can Americans be sure that the Bush Administration is using intelligence responsibly?

On Jack Abramoff

McClellan Said the President Doesn’t Know Jack Abramoff; Cannot Recall Meeting Jack Abramoff. “As details poured out about the illegal and unseemly activities of Republican lobbyist Jack Abramoff, White House officials sought to portray the scandal as a Capitol Hill affair with little relevance to them. Peppered for days with questions about Abramoff's visits to the White House, press secretary Scott McClellan said the now disgraced lobbyist had attended two huge holiday receptions and a few "staff-level meetings" that were not worth describing further. ‘The President does not know him, nor does the President recall ever meeting him,’ McClellan said.” [Time, 1/30/06]

But Photos Show Bush and Abramoff Together. “The President's memory may soon be unhappily refreshed. TIME has seen five photographs of Abramoff and the President that suggest a level of contact between them that Bush's aides have downplayed. . . .” [Time, 1/30/06]

Question for Tony Snow: What was the extent of Jack Abramoff’s ties to the White House?

On Vice President Cheney

McClellan on Cheney’s Shooting of a Fellow Hunter: “It is what it is.” “As the briefing proceeded, the spokesman became snippier. ‘It is what it is,’ he said of the shooting, "and I think it's time to move on for the American people." By the time ABC's Ann Compton rose with the last question, McClellan was suppressing a grin. ‘It's time to focus on the priorities of the American people,’ he said one final time.” [Washington Post, 2/15/06]

Ø "This is our briefing; we get to ask the questions," David Sanger of the New York Times fired back. NBC's David Gregory lectured: "Don't tell us that you're giving us complete answers when you're not actually answering the questions." [Washington Post, 2/15/06]

Question for Tony Snow: Will there be increased transparency from the White House about the Vice President’s actions and role in the Administration?