http://www.guardian.co.uk/salon/story/0,14752,1509059,00.htmlJust hearsay, or the new Watergate tapes?
David Paul Kuhn explains how the Democratic representative John Conyers defied Republicans to call for an inquiry into the 'Downing Street memo'
Friday June 17, 2005
Forced to the basement of the US Capitol and prevented from holding an official hearing, Michigan representative John Conyers defied Republicans and held a forum on Thursday calling for a congressional inquiry into the infamous British document known as the "Downing Street memo".
Three dozen Democratic representatives shuffled in and out of a small room to join Mr Conyers in declaring that the Downing Street memo was the first "primary source" document to report that prewar intelligence was intentionally manipulated in order make a case for invading Iraq.
Not only did Republican leaders consign the Democrats to the basement, but Democrats also claimed that the House scheduled 11 votes concurrent with the forum to maximise the difficulty of attending it. Because the forum wasn't an official hearing, it won't become a part of the Congressional record - but members worked to make sure that the attending media and activists captured their words for posterity.
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As he left, the mild but indefatigable Mr Conyers was a little angry that the forum was denied a proper room in the Capitol.
"They tried to shut us out," he said after the hearing. "They tried to cut us off. They put us in a tiny room. The significance shouldn't be lost on anybody."