Rice to Testify Before 9/11 Commission
By Jeff Gannon
Talon News
March 31, 2004

President Bush announced Tuesday that National Security Advisor Dr. Condoleezza Rice would testify in public before the 9/11 Commission.

In a briefing at the White House, the president said, "I've ordered this level of cooperation because I consider it necessary to gaining a complete picture of the months and years that preceded the murder of our fellow citizens on September the 11th, 2001."

Bush added that he and Vice President Dick Cheney would each meet with all members of the commission in a private session.

While Democrats accused the president of "stonewalling" the commission, Bush pointed out, "More than 800 members of the administration have been interviewed. More than 20 White House officials have met with the commission, or soon will do so. Dr. Rice, herself, has already met privately with the commission for four hours."

White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan briefed reporters earlier with additional information on what the administration already turned over.

He said, "We have provided the commission with more than 2.3 million pages of documents, more than 100 briefings -- including at the head of agency level, more than 780 interviews and meetings with administration officials, more than 900 audio tapes of meetings and other materials, more than 60 compact disk of radar, flight and other information."

"As the letter points out, we have provided more than 20 officials from the executive office of the President to meet with the commission in private," McClellan added.

White House Counsel Alberto Gonzales sent a letter to 9/11 Commission Chairman Thomas Kean and Vice Chairman Lee Hamilton that established the conditions under which Rice would testify before their panel. President Bush noted that the commission and Congressional leaders agreed that the unique circumstances of the 9/11 attacks allowed for Rice to testify without establishing any kind of precedent or compromise the principle of executive privilege.

Bush stated, "This principle of the separation of powers is protected by the Constitution, is recognized by the courts and has been defended by Presidents of both political parties."

The president commented on the work of the bipartisan panel saying, "This commission has been charged with a crucial task. To prevent future attacks, we must understand the methods of our enemies. The terrorist threat being examined by the commission is still present, still urgent and still demands our full attention."

He reiterated his commitment to the war on terror when he said, "Our nation must never forget the loss or the lessons of September the 11th, and we must not assume that the danger has passed. The United States will confront gathering dangers to our freedom and security."

A joint statement from House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said, "We applaud the decision of the president to allow the National Security Advisor, Dr. Condoleezza Rice, to testify before the 9/11 Commission. This is a unique event given the extraordinary nature of Sept. 11, 2001."

The two legislators added, "We do not believe Dr. Rice's testimony, before an independent commission, should be seen as setting any precedent, and it should not be cited as setting precedent for future requests for a National Security Advisor or any other White House official to testify before a legislative body."