Forum Name Latest Breaking News
Topic subject White House: Petraeus will testify
Topic URL
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2957802#29578022957802, White House: Petraeus will testify
Posted by sabra on Fri Aug-17-07 11:14 AM
Source: The Hill
The White House on Thursday sought to alleviate concerns that Gen. David Petraeus and U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Ryan Crocker would not testify before Congress, as Democrats ratcheted up their rhetoric on the issue.
White House spokesman Gordon Johndroe told reporters in Crawford, Texas, that stories indicating Petraeus and Crocker would not testify openly before Congress were inaccurate.
“General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker will testify to the Congress in both open as well as closed sessions prior to the September 15th report,” he said. “I think it’s unfortunate that anyone would suggest that they would not do that, trying to start a fight where there really isn’t one, because this has always been the plan, and in fact it's even called for in the legislation.”
At about the same time as the briefing, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) released a statement, saying, “The White House’s effort to prevent General Petraeus and Ambassador Crocker from testifying openly and candidly before Congress about the situation in Iraq is unacceptable.”
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http://thehill.com/leading-the-news/white-house-petraeus-will-testify-2007-08-16.html Forum Name Latest Breaking News
Topic subject An Early Clash Over Iraq Report (WH want Private briefing by Patraeus)
Topic URL
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x2955921#29559212955921, An Early Clash Over Iraq Report (WH want Private briefing by Patraeus)
Posted by rodeodance on Thu Aug-16-07 10:26 AM
Source: wasp POST
An Early Clash Over Iraq Report
Specifics at Issue as September Nears
By Jonathan Weisman and Karen DeYoung
Washington Post Staff Writers
Thursday, August 16, 2007; Page A01
Senior congressional aides said yesterday that the White House has proposed limiting the much-anticipated appearance on Capitol Hill next month of Gen. David H. Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker to a private congressional briefing, suggesting instead that the Bush administration's progress report on the Iraq war should be delivered to Congress by the secretaries of state and defense.
White House officials did not deny making the proposal in informal talks with Congress, but they said yesterday that they will not shield the commanding general in Iraq and the senior U.S. diplomat there from public congressional testimony required by the war-funding legislation President Bush signed in May. "The administration plans to follow the requirements of the legislation," National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said in response to questions yesterday.
The skirmishing is an indication of the rising anxiety on all sides in the remaining few weeks before the presentation of what is widely considered a make-or-break assessment of Bush's war strategy, and one that will come amid rising calls for a drawdown of U.S. forces from Iraq.
..........
White House officials suggested to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee last week that Petraeus and Crocker would brief lawmakers in a closed session before the release of the report, congressional aides said. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates would provide the only public testimony.
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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/08/15/AR2007081501281.html?hpid=topnews