Media

Oversight and Government Reform Committee Hearing on Disclosure of CIA Agent Valerie Plame Wilson's Identity and White House Procedures for Safeguarding Classified Information

Friday, March 16, 2007

The following witnesses have been confirmed:

• Ms. Valerie Plame Wilson, former employee, Central Intelligence Agency
• Dr. James Knodell, Director, Office of Security, The White House
• Mr. Bill Leonard, Director, Information Security Oversight Office, National Archives and Records Administration
• Mr. Mark Zaid, Attorney
• Ms. Victoria Toensing, diGenova & Toensing, LLP

"This war has got to end, and it's got to stop. And what we're doing is the quickest way for us to go about bringing a reasonable, thoughtful end to this war."

Conyers Demands More Answers from Attorney General Gonzales

National Journal reports that Gonzales may have advised President Bush to shut down OPR inquiry on warrentless wiretapping

(Washington, DC)- Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) sent a letter to U.S. Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales demanding he answer allegations that he may have advised the President to shut down an Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) inquiry into the Administration's domestic wiretapping surveillance program because of his role in the program.

Next week, Members of the House will have a choice: vote to continue the President's open-ended commitment to a war without end or vote to responsibly redeploy our troops based on performance benchmarks the President and the Iraqi government have already endorsed.

The American people have sent a strong message that they want a new direction in Iraq. The Appropriations Committee heard that message today.

Ranking Member Jerry Lewis (R-CA) offered an amendment during the committee markup which would have stripped language from the Iraq supplemental restricting the use of troops who are not properly equipped or trained, with the only exception being when President Bush is willing to publicly certify it is necessary, along with language requiring that the Iraqi government meet the benchmarks previously laid out by President Bush.

The Judiciary Committee is currently webcasting the markup of: H.R. 580, "Restoring Checks and Balances in the Confirmation Process of U.S. Attorneys"; H.R. 1433, "District of Columbia House Voting Rights Act of 2007"; and Approval of assignment to subcommittee vacancies.

The Ed & Labor Committee is currently webcasting a hearing on "Examining Innovative Approaches to Covering the Uninsured Through Employer-Provided Health Benefits."

"I expect a lot of amendments today. This is a serious proposition, and I think people on all sides of these questions will be taking it seriously, and I expect this will be a very long discussion. If it continues on past the adjournment of the House, the committee will remain in session until we have completed action on the bill -- even if we have to go around the clock this evening."