Remember in the weeks after Katrina how the White House promised an internal probe of the disaster-related screw-ups? Right, well I forgot too. After all, it's been, what, five months, and nary a word on the probe.
But don't fret. The White House has not been sitting still. No, no. The WH staff has been working very hard--to oppose the Senate's investigation. From the AP:
WASHINGTON -- The White House is hampering a Senate inquiry into the government's response to Hurricane Katrina by barring administration officials from answering questions and by not handing over documents, senators leading the probe said yesterday.
In some cases, staff members at the White House and other federal agencies have declined to be interviewed by congressional investigators, said the top Republican, Susan M. Collins of Maine, and the ranking Democrat, Joseph I. Lieberman of Connecticut.
And from the NYT's list of those who declined to testify:
In response to questions later from a reporter, the deputy White House spokesman, Trent Duffy, said the administration had declined requests to provide testimony by Andrew H. Card Jr., the White House chief of staff; Mr. Card's deputy, Joe Hagin; Frances Fragos Townsend, the domestic security adviser; and her deputy, Ken Rapuano.
Frances Townsend. Where have I heard that name before? Oh, right. Apart from stonewalling the Senate's Katrina's investigation, she's leading the WH's Katrina "probe." Should be a doozy.
Comments