White House again denies DeFazio's information request

[spotbird]

Source: The Oreganian

WASHINGTON -- The White House formally declined Rep. Peter DeFazio's request to view the classified portion of a plan to operate the government after a catastrophe.

Last month the White House had said it would not provide the information to DeFazio, a senior member of the House Homeland Security Committee. So DeFazio and two committee leaders wrote wrote a letter to White House homeland security adviser Frances Townsend formally requesting he be provided access to the documents.

In a response dated Wednesday, Townsend wrote that the White House is "unable to share them with the membership and staff of the Committee."

....

"I'm disturbed," DeFazio said in an interview this evening. "I thought that perhaps some knee-jerk lower-level functionary responding to their usual obsession with secrecy and exclusion had sent the verbal denial."

....

"There's some very vague assertion of some sort of offer to or briefing of congressional leaders," DeFazio said. "We're checking with the Speaker and Majority Leader."

-- Jeff Kosseff

Read more: http://blog.oregonlive.com/politics/2007/08/white_house_again_denies_defaz.html

---

Meanwhile congress is in a mad rush to capitulate on the FISA amendments and go on vacation.

We know what the administration is up to, but I will never, ever, understand why the Democrats didn't stay and fight until the last dog died.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Updated to add the background story from July 20:

DeFazio asks, but he's denied access

Classified info - The congressman wanted to see government plans for after a terror attack

WASHINGTON -- Oregonians called Peter DeFazio's office, worried there was a conspiracy buried in the classified portion of a White House plan for operating the government after a terrorist attack.

As a member of the U.S. House on the Homeland Security Committee, DeFazio, D-Ore., is permitted to enter a secure "bubbleroom" in the Capitol and examine classified material. So he asked the White House to see the secret documents.

On Wednesday, DeFazio got his answer: DENIED.

....

"We're talking about the continuity of the government of the United States of America," DeFazio says. "I would think that would be relevant to any member of Congress, let alone a member of the Homeland Security Committee."

....

This is the first time DeFazio has been denied access to documents. DeFazio has asked Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., to help him access the documents.

"Maybe the people who think there's a conspiracy out there are right," DeFazio said.

[Quantess]

1. There is no plan

to operate the government after a catastrophe, and nobody outside the White House is supposed to find out.

[rhett o rick]

6. Wrongo bongo. The plan is simple, the President takes complete control of the Country.

The details are classified.

http://journals.democraticunderground.com/rhett%20o%20rick/14

[Quantess]

8. Well, now, that sounds plausible.

While there would be no effort to mitigate the catastrophe (just look at their track record), there would be a speedy move to give B*sh total control. I think you're onto something.

[damntexdem]

13. There is a plan, because they plan to create the catastrophe.

They don't dare let DeFazio see how unconstitutional, illegal, and disgusting it is.

[PuraVidaDreamin]

2. Yeh- Vacation is more important than the Constitution or

our soldiers.

Every last one of them are despicable

[acmavm]

5. Tsk Tsk Tsk, don't you read the threads here? Don't you know

that they're doing the very best the can? Don't you know that all these precious gems that we elected last November are doing a WONDERFUL job.

:sarcasm:

edit: to point out a couple of the wonderful things they've done.

Impeachment has been taken 'off the table'.
They cut a secret 'trade deal' with the administration and I guess we'll never get the details.
They gave him a blank check for his wars.

I am just so impressed with their love of country and concern for the constituents.

[spotbird]

7. There is no way to know,

but I view those comments as ifthey were paid commercials.

[cap]

3. this is what deFazio wants to know about

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2007/05/20070509-12.html

the details of this are classified.

[spotbird]

4. But Defazio has clearance

too look at it.

[Bitwit1234]

9. This man is a member of the committee for Homeland Security

and he is not allowed to see anything pertaining to it. This is ridiculous. I think instead of impeachment we should all holler for im-arrestment.

[tanyev]

10. Hiding something?

:tinfoilhat:

[gratuitous]

11. Yep, what are they hiding?

Imagine if this was, I dunno, say the Clinton administration and the requesting congressman was someone like, say, Tom DeLay. What do you suppose the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Michelle Malkin, Ann Coulter, Fox News and even the New York Times and the Washington Post might have to say about that? Hour after hour, day after day, for weeks on end?

But make it a Republican president and a Democratic congressman, and you don't hear a peep out of any of those oh-so-fair-and-balanced folks. But you do get the word "conspiracy" prominently placed in the story lede to make it look like DeFazio is on some kind of unwarranted fishing expedition, rather than exercising his oversight authority as a member of the congressional committee that's supposed to know about such things.

[spotbird]

12. It galls me that

after all the abuses we know of Congress is still going to cave on FISA to get out of town.

It just doesn't end.

[donkeyotay]

14. "Maybe the people who think there's a conspiracy out there are right," DeFazio said.

Given that this administration has zero credibility, does not appear to be even slightly interested in this nation's welfare, and has denied Constitutional oversight, we should assume that they are hiding something. My guess would be that they are using this secrecy the same way they have used all their other cries of national security - to hide behind while they enrich themselves and consolidate their power. None dare call it treason.

[0rganism]

15. If the plan's truly innoccuous, the WH is making (yet another) terrible mistake

By not letting Rep. DeFazio view the documentation, the bushistas only fuel the fires of some very ugly suspicions for what may be perfectly normal sorts of contingency planning and emergency preparation.

On the other hand, if the plans are either grossly unacceptable constitutionally or in a disgraceful state of shoddiness, or both, then there may indeed be "good" reason (politically speaking) to attempt to run out the clock rather than let the committee members examine them.

At this point, after all we have seen thus far, it is only natural for people to fear the worst from these power-hungry criminals.