Thursday, September 09, 2004

GOP DEMANDS BUSH RELEASE DOCUMENTS

americanprogressaction.org

INTELLIGENCE -- GOP DEMANDS BUSH RELEASE DOCUMENTS: Sen. Bob Graham
(D), who was chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee in 2002, has
published a new book asserting that "t he Bush administration and FBI
blocked a congressional investigation
(http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/nation/9591690.htm) " into the
relationship between the Saudi Arabian government and the 9/11
hijackers. Graham objected to the White House's decision to classify 27 pages
of a congressional report that dealt with the relationship. While the
Republican National Committee
(http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=35730) and Fox News
anchor Brit Hume (http://mediamatters.org/items/200409080009) have
attacked the Florida Senator, he is not the only one who wants the 27
pages released. Top Republicans do, too. Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL), who
was the ranking Republican on the committee, said on 7/27/03 that "I
think [the 27 pages are] classified for the wrong reason...My judgment is
95 percent of that information could be declassified, become uncensored,
so the American people would know." Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS), who is now
chairman of the committee, said on 7/27/03 that "I was upset with the
process, and I was upset with the amount of material that was redacted."
Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) said on 7/31/03, "I think it's in the interest
of this administration to have some of this opened up."