White House again denies DeFazio's information request

White House again denies DeFazio's information request
Posted by The Oregonian August 02, 2007 17:00PM

WASHINGTON -- The White House formally declined Rep. Peter DeFazio's request to view the classified portion of a plan to operate the government after a catastrophe.

Last month the White House had said it would not provide the information to DeFazio, a senior member of the House Homeland Security Committee. So DeFazio and two committee leaders wrote wrote a letter to White House homeland security adviser Frances Townsend formally requesting he be provided access to the documents.

In a response dated Wednesday, Townsend wrote that the White House is "unable to share them with the membership and staff of the Committee."

Townsend's written response confirmed discussions that Homeland Security Committee staff had with White House staffers last month. The White House had initially said DeFazio could view the documents but later told committee staff that he would not be able to access them.

"I'm disturbed," DeFazio said in an interview this evening. "I thought that perhaps some knee-jerk lower-level functionary responding to their usual obsession with secrecy and exclusion had sent the verbal denial."

Members of the Homeland Security Committee sign an oath not to disclose classified information that they view as part of their committee work. They view documents in a secure room in the Capitol.

In her letter, Townsend cited the sensitive nature of the information.

"It has long been the policy of the executive branch -- predating the current Administration -- to treat specific continuity operational details as extremely sensitive," Townsend wrote. "Traditionally the executive branch has briefed the most senior congressional leadership on sensitive continuity information."

Before deciding his next step in attempting to view the information, DeFazio said he will investigate whether the House leadership has been briefed on the plan, as Townsend implied.

"There's some very vague assertion of some sort of offer to or briefing of congressional leaders," DeFazio said. "We're checking with the Speaker and Majority Leader."

-- Jeff Kosseff
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