Full Disclosure? (Will 9/11 Commission Subpoena WH?)

[RamboLiberal]

http://www.msnbc.com/news/971399.asp?0cl=c1

A long-running and largely behind-the-scenes struggle by an independent commission to gain access to some of the most sensitive White House documents about the September 11 terror attacks may be heading to a public showdown in the next few weeks, creating potential political problems for the Bush administration.

DESPITE PUBLIC CLAIMS of cooperation, White House lawyers are still resisting turning over to the September 11 commission key documents—including the text of daily intelligence briefs provided to President Bush in the months before the attacks and closely held National Security Council memos on terrorism, sources familiar with the negotiations tell NEWSWEEK.

<snip>

But even while presenting a largely upbeat view, Kean also acknowledged that the commission was still negotiating with the White House over “additional sensitive documents.” He later added: “We have not gotten everything that we feel we need to do our job.” Speaking at a joint press conference, Hamilton, a former Democratic congressman, issued an unexpectedly blunt warning: “We have laid down a marker here. We need this information in two weeks’ time. We are approaching a crucial point.”

Hamilton’s deadline essentially amounted to a threat that the commission may finally use its subpoena power, forcing an unseemly legal confrontation that is sure to make White House political advisers cringe. At a minimum, the specter of White House lawyers claiming “executive privilege” over September 11 documents is sure to fuel charges—already heard from some of the Democratic presidential candidates—that the White House is covering up politically embarrassing details about the attacks, such as the administration’s failure to heed stark intelligence warnings in the summer of 2001 and its cozy relations with Saudi Arabia.

[realFedUp]

1. a subpoena just doesn't have much meaning with this crowd

too bad judges don't enforce them.