Panel Still Waiting for Hurricane Katrina Papers (administration stonewall

[RedEarth]

November 3, 2005
Panel Still Waiting for Hurricane Katrina Papers
By RAYMOND HERNANDEZ

WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 - The Republican who heads a Congressional panel investigating the federal government's response to Hurricane Katrina complained Wednesday that the Bush administration had failed to turn over documents the panel requested weeks ago.

The official, Representative Thomas M. Davis III of Virginia, chairman of the House Committee on Government Reform, also threatened to issue subpoenas to compel administration officials to release the documents if they did not comply with the committee's request.

"Our time is short for conducting our investigation," Mr. Davis said. "We are not going to be stonewalled here. I will continue to press the administration for full compliance with our requests as soon as possible."

The documents in question are e-mail and other correspondence between officials in the White House and other agencies during the response to the hurricane, as well as agency documents dealing with specific preparations for and responses to Hurricane Katrina. The panel requested the documents on Sept. 30.

A White House spokesman, Trent Duffy, took issue with the suggestion that the administration had been slow to respond to the committee's request. "It's a lot of information," Mr. Duffy said. "White House staff were instructed to collect information, and the White House counsel's office is working with Davis's committee to provide them with the appropriate information."

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/03/politics/03response.html?pagewanted=print

[Mithras61]

1. How is "White House Stonewalls Investigation" news? (n/t)

[indepat]

2. Houston, do we see a pattern here?

[Lochloosa]

3. Hell has frozen over...

a repug questioning *.

[goforit]

7. Yes , this is quite shocking.

[uppityperson]

4. "we're shredding as fast as we can!"

I am pleased that all the shit hits the fan at once. Good.

[goforit]

8. LOL!!!.......Need any stuffing for Holiday packaging?

[leesa]

5. You mean they haven't classified them for 'security reasons' yet?!?

'Executive privilege' at the very least, I would think.

[Kokonoe]

6. We wouldn't want the hurricanes to know our secret defenses. n/t

[rodeodance]

9. well, they probably have a slow shredder--besides-the WH is working

hard on other stuff.

te he.
...
The documents in question are e-mail and other correspondence between officials in the White House and other agencies during the response to the hurricane, as well as agency documents dealing with specific preparations for and responses to Hurricane Katrina. The panel requested the documents on Sept. 30.