TPM: Waxman to Rice: Step Back

[mod mom]

Waxman to Rice: Step Back
By Paul Kiel - May 4, 2007, 12:55 PM
Here's the latest volley in the ongoing battle between Rep. Henry Waxman (D-CA) and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Waxman, the chairman of the House committee on oversight, wrote to Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice today to complain that State Department officials had attempted to prevent a nuclear weapons anaylst at the department from speaking with his staff. This comes after Waxman's committee issued a subpoena last week for Rice's testimony on how she dealt with claims before the war that Iraq had sought uranium from Niger. Rice has said that she won't comply with the subpoena.

Waxman said that when his staff sought to meet with Simon Dodge, a nuclear weapons analyst at the State Department's Bureau of Intelligence and Research, a State Department official called and objected. According to Waxman, the official "informed Committee staff that you were prohibiting Mr. Dodge from meeting with Committee investigators. This official claimed that allowing Mr. Dodge to speak with Committee staff would be 'inappropriate' because the Committee voted to issue a subpoena to compel your attendance at a hearing on your knowledge of the fabricated evidence."

-snip

Waxman said he was giving Rice the benefit of the doubt:

I assume that your legislative staff was acting without your authorization in this matter. It would be a matter of great concern - as well as an obvious conflict of interest - if vou had directed your staff to impede a congressional investigation into matter that may implicate your conduct as National Security Advisor.

http://www.tpmmuckraker.com/archives/003156.php#comments

GO WAXMAN!

[maddezmom]

1. was just about to post this

:thumbsup:

[mod mom]

2. Love that MAN! "a matter of conflict of interest"

[ChairmanAgnostic]

3. fuck inappropriate. Talk about OBSTRUCTION OF CONGRESS.

we are talking jail time, folks.

[pberq]

4. thanks for posting - how long can this go on?

[ChairmanAgnostic]

5. watch condi resign because of health reasons and wanting to spend more time

with her husb-, her pres-, her husb-, her pres- . . .

[HereSince1628]

10. If she resigns it'll be to spend more time with W's baby.

I'd love to read the headline and see the pics in the National Enquirer.

[Mme. Defarge]

17. Not the NYT?

[The Wizard]

13. Spend more time with her vibrator? nt

[Richard Steele]

6. Recommended. Strongly, as a matter of fact! nm

[spanone]

7. K & R

[ooglymoogly]

8. Very smart dog with the proverbial bone. k&r

[Lochloosa]

9. This is one Pissed Off Man.

Give 'em HELL Waxman

[Laurab]

11. I love the last paragraph - Waxman is not letting this go.

He's giving her an out by "assuming", but he knows better - and it sure would be a "matter of great concern" if she directed her staff to impede a congressional investigation, which of course, she did. I love Henry Waxman! I'm so tired of these people thinking and acting like they're above the law, and getting away with it. Waxman gives me hope.

[frogcycle]

12. DAMN!

maybe, just maybe, we will manage to pull back from the abyss

Waxman and Leahy may just be our superheroes

when are they going to have action figures?

[exlrrp]

14. So whats Waxman going to do about it?

Surely the story doesn't stop here---Is Waxman going to do something about this or do the Bushies win again? Does all Condi have to do is "just say no?"

[IWantAChange]

15. Waxman and Leahy are tenacious - this isn't going away any time soon....

When you have 'Right' on your side and you are performing your sworn duties under the Constitution of the United States it would be a dereliction of duty to let this 'go away.'

[cqo_000]

16. kick :)