White House Declines to Provide Storm Papers - New York Times 1/24/06

[Coastie for Truth]

The Bush administration, citing the confidentiality of executive branch communications, said Tuesday that it did not plan to turn over certain documents about Hurricane Katrina or make senior White House officials available for sworn testimony before two Congressional committees investigating the storm response.

The White House this week also formally notified Representative Richard H. Baker, Republican of Louisiana, that it would not support his legislation creating a federally financed reconstruction program for the state that would bail out homeowners and mortgage lenders. Many Louisiana officials consider the bill crucial to recovery, but administration officials said the state would have to use community development money appropriated by Congress.

The White House's stance on storm-related documents, along with slow or incomplete responses by other agencies, threatens to undermine efforts to identify what went wrong, Democrats on the committees said Tuesday.

"There has been a near total lack of cooperation that has made it impossible, in my opinion, for us to do the thorough investigation that we have a responsibility to do," Senator Joseph I. Lieberman, Democrat of Connecticut, said at Tuesday's hearing of the Senate committee investigating the response. His spokeswoman said he would ask for a subpoena for documents and testimony if the White House did not comply.

In response to questions later from a reporter, the deputy White House spokesman, Trent Duffy, said the administration had declined requests to provide testimony by Andrew H. Card Jr., the White House chief of staff; Mr. Card's deputy, Joe Hagin; Frances Fragos Townsend, the domestic security adviser; and her deputy, Ken Rapuano.

<<<snip>>>

Yes, I do have a "dog in this fight" - I am a Red Cross Disaster Services Volunteer, a FEMA Volunteer (both and ), an honorably discharged veteran of the United States Coast Guard - stationed in New Orleans, and a one time resident of New Orleans; and my wife taught school in the "Lower Ninth Ward" --- and I am a little bit tired of being scapegated for failures from Bush-Cheney-Chertoff through Rove and Brownie.

[stepnw1f]

1. Another Reason for IMPEACHMENT!

These thugs are sick.

[Coastie for Truth]

3. Did you catch the over scapegoating

of the NGO's - when it was the Feds that banned us from NOLA?

[stepnw1f]

4. Yeah... It's Disgusting and Criminal

They knew what they were doing and it cost lives. It's criminal negligence at the least and they need to pay for those lives lost.

[AzDar]

2. Jeebus Christ..Why didn't Clinton use this dodge during the Paula/Monica

fiascos? Oh, that's right, he OBEYED THE LAW.
They must be stopped.

[davidwparker]

5. * hates black people