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Skriven 2007-06-28 23:31:00 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0706286) for Thu, 2007 Jun 28
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Press Gaggle by Tony Snow
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For Immediate Release Office of the Press Secretary June 28, 2007

Press Gaggle by Tony Snow Aboard Air Force One En route North Kingstown,
Rhode Island

˙˙Press Briefings


10:10 A.M. EDT

MR. SNOW: All right, the President's schedule for the day: 8:00 a.m.,
normal briefings; 8:35 a.m. he made the announcement of the official
nomination of Admiral Michael Mullen and General James Cartwright to
Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

At 11:20 a.m. he will make remarks to the Naval War College. The President
is going to give an update on Iraq. He'll talk about new offenses underway
in Diyala. He'll talk about some of the fighting and targeting of al Qaeda,
including going after car bomb factories in the Baghdad belt, and efforts
to bring security to the population of Baghdad, which was one of the
purposes of the surge. He'll also talk about what we're seeing in Anbar
province, which was also a point of emphasis in the new way forward
announced in January. He will discuss, as well, the Iraqi response to the
latest attack on the Golden Mosque in Samarra.

On the way toward the War College, the President will have an aerial tour
of Tall Ships Rhode Island 2007; he'll fly over and take a peak.

The Department of Interior will announce today that the Bald Eagle has been
recovered and is being taken off the endangered species list. Forty years
ago there were only 400 nesting pairs; today an excess of 10,000 -- I'm
sorry, nearly 10,000.

Also, Mrs. Bush is keeping an online journal during her trip in Africa.
She's posted journal entries and photographs about her trip and experiences
on Ivillage.com. We encourage people to take the opportunity to learn about
ongoing efforts to fight HIV/AIDS, combat malaria, provide clean water for
African communities, and improve access to education for all Africans.

In addition, as you know, Fred Fielding, White House Counsel, has informed
the Chairman of the House and Senate Judiciary Committees that the
President is asserting executive privilege with regard to subpoena
requests, four of which are due today, and one of which is due on July
12th.

Questions.

Q How far will you all go to fight that? Will you go to court?

MR. SNOW: It's premature to talk about court. Really what we have talked
about all along is working to accommodate the need for information by
members of Congress. We've provided more than 8,500 pages of documents, as
well as access to key players. We have expressed our willingness to give
the information necessary for Congress to do its deliberations. And it's
really up to Congress now.

Q The privilege applies to the document request, but what about testimony
by Taylor and Miers?

MR. SNOW: We are responding only to the subpoenas which refer to document
requests.

Q So the offer to the interviews stands?

MR. SNOW: No. All the offers are off the table. Subpoenas -- if the
subpoenas come off the table, the offers go back on the table.

Q Tony, the Fielding letter seems to reply only to the earlier request for
subpoenas, not these latest ones, which have to do with the wiretapping. So
has there been no response yet to that?

MR. SNOW: Well, keep in mind, that is a one-day old request and,
furthermore, it is not due for some time. But let's just say it's an
outrageous request. What you have is a program that was briefed to members
of Congress. Members of Congress were kept fully informed all along the
route, as well as on the legal justifications and the legal findings behind
them. At this juncture, we don't have a formal reply, but on the other
hand, it is pretty clear that, again, members of Congress here are engaged
in an attempt -- apparently since they have been unsuccessful in passing
key legislation -- to try to do what they can to make life difficult for
the White House.

It also may explain why this is the least popular Congress in decades,
because you do have what appears to be a strategy of destruction, rather
than cooperation. We've made it clear that we are willing to share
information with Congress so that they can do their jobs, but on the other
hand, we think it is essential, as a matter of principle, to protect the
prerogatives of the presidency, especially when it comes to being able to
have privileged and confidential communications with key staff members and
key executive branch officials.

Q Tony, the arguments made by Fielding in the letter would apply also to
this later request, right?

MR. SNOW: The Fielding letter replies only to the document requests --
again, for those they needed a response today. There is an additional one
where I believe Chairman Conyers, in the case of Harriet Miers, has a July
12th date. The President has instructed both Sara Taylor and Harriet Miers
-- that is, their attorneys -- that he is asserting privilege and would
want them to withhold any document production.

Q What about their testimony?

Q Yes, what does that mean for testimony?

MR. SNOW: That's not one of the issues that's raised by the subpoenas
today.

Q It's raised by their subpoenas, though -- they've issued subpoenas.

MR. SNOW: Well, again, we aren't talking about the subpoenas -- I'm simply
discussing -- I'm not going to talk about testimony. I'm telling you what
we are responding right now to the request for document production. That is
what is in the subpoenas, but we're responding --

Q (Inaudible).

MR. SNOW: Because what we're doing is we're responding to the precise
subpoenas that we're responding to today. They are only request for
document production; that's what we're responding to.

Q Does that mean that you'll respond --

Q For instance, is there a difference, though, as a principle --

MR. SNOW: It doesn't mean anything. It just means --

Q Does it mean you'll respond at a later date, or does it mean that you're
willing to let them testify?

MR. SNOW: It means that when we have subpoenas -- we will respond to
subpoenas appropriately and in due course, and that's what we've done in
this case. Again, the subpoenas we're talking about today do not refer to
testimony, they refer to document production.

Q Does that mean that the White House has given no instruction to Sara and
to Harriet on whether they should agree to testify or not?

MR. SNOW: It's in Fred's letter. We have informed them that the President
is asserting executive privilege and that they should not turn over
documents.

Q I understand. That wasn't my question. My question is what has the White
House instructed them to do, in terms of testimony?

MR. SNOW: The White House is not instructing them. You can ask their
attorneys.*

Q So they're free to testify if they want?

MR. SNOW: I'm not going any further. Again, I know you want to talk about
testimony. We're talking about document production today.

Q But that doesn't mean we limit our questions only to documents.

MR. SNOW: I understand that, but I am limiting my answers to documents.

Q Why is there a distinction? That's what everybody is trying to get at.

MR. SNOW: Because what you're trying to do is to draw in issues that are
not before White House legal counsel today.

Q Why are they not before them today?

MR. SNOW: Because in the subpoenas there are document requests, and we're
responding to that specific request from the House and Senate Judiciary
Committees.

Q But the subpoenas came the same day, though; they all were issued the
same day.

MR. SNOW: They have different dates in which they are supposed to be
produced, that is responded to --

Q -- outrageous request, you responding to the --

MR. SNOW: TSP.

Q And the answer to that is, no -- the answer is no to subpoenas and the
formal letter will follow?

MR SNOW: No, I'm just telling you what our reaction is to what appeared to
be a bit of showmanship yesterday.

Q In the Iraq speech today, will the President make reference to what
Senator Lugar said, either explicitly or implicitly; try to answer what --

MR SNOW: What the President is going to do, as I said, is give you an
update on what's been going on in Iraq. Whether that can be construed as
responding explicitly or not, this is not a speech that was written for
Senator Lugar. This is a speech that has been in the drafting for a
considerable period of time, and will give people an update; a sense of
what's going on in Diyala and Anbar and in Baghdad, as well as the Iraqi
response to the latest al Qaeda provocation with the Golden Mosque of
Samarra, because obviously that was a pivotal event in 2006. We're going to
tell you how the Iraqis have responded and what they've learned this time.

Q Can I just clear -- I think there's a little bit of a contradiction in
two things you said. First you said that in terms of the testimony, that
that issue was not in the fore of the Office of the Counsel yet; they're
not dealing with that issue yet. And then you said later, you don't
instruct them on whether to testify or not. Those are saying two different
things.

MR. SNOW: Well, again -- you know what, I was confused because I was
responding to the document request. (Laughter.) So to your original answer,
I was actually answering a question about documents. So thank you. And I'm
not going to talk about any conversations they may be having.

Q On immigration, is the administration growing more concerned that the
cloture will fail?

MR. SNOW: Well, we'll find out. I mean, there's going to be a vote within
an hour or so. We'll find out what's going on.

Q I mean, is he on the phone on the plane, or has he done anything this
morning?

MR. SNOW: Well, we have been in contact with members of Congress over the
last couple of days, and the President has made it clear that this is very
important to him. This is an issue that everybody agrees is of national
importance, and therefore it is a key test of leadership to see if Congress
can respond to something that the public has said overwhelmingly it
considers a priority and needs addressing.

Q Why not make clear who he's talking to and when? I mean, if it's so
important to him, isn't he willing to say publicly how hard he's trying to
get it -- make it happen?

MR. SNOW: Because we don't choose to share that information. It doesn't
matter.

Q Sure it does.

MR. SNOW: Okay, well, I'm not answering it.

Q What he's doing for the two hours between the end of the speech and his
departure? Families of the fallen?

MR. SNOW: Yes.

Q Anything else?

Q Any recreation plans this afternoon that you know of?

MR. SNOW: I don't know. I'm hoping to have some, but I don't know.
(Laughter.)

Q We're concerned about you, but we were really asking about him.
(Laughter.)

MR. SNOW: I don't know if he has any. I suspect he does, but on the other
hand, there's a lot of stuff going on today, so business before pleasure.

Q Who all is traveling, other than Hagin? I didn't see any --

MR SNOW: You know, I don't know who -- I'll have to take a look at who's
going on to Kennebunkport. I'll be going to Kennebunkport, I know Joe is;
Phil Lago; Brent McIntosh, of the Staff Sec's Office.

Q Is there any special, separate briefing tomorrow on Putin's visit?

MR. SNOW: Well, we won't have a separate briefing of it, but obviously
we'll be making ourselves available tomorrow.

Q Is it on background or is it going to be --

MR. SNOW: Well, there was a backgrounder yesterday by a Senior
Administration Official.

Q Are you going to brief tomorrow or just be around or --

MR. SNOW: We'll figure it out. I don't know yet.

Q There's a lot going on.

MR. SNOW: Well, if there is, we'll get out.

Q Okay. Good.

MR. SNOW: So, we'll certainly plan on trying to get out -- do a briefing
tomorrow, but --

Q (Inaudible.)

MR. SNOW: No. They've got plenty of things to do back home, including swim
meets and so on, unfortunately. I wish they were going to be here.

Q Do you have any more about what the program will be of the Presidents
this weekend, because yesterday they were sort of a vague, well, they'll be
meeting but there's not a specific --

MR. SNOW: No, it's really not a program. Again, you're having conversations
between the two Presidents. This is a chance for them to talk about a whole
bunch of stuff. They'll do it, but again, we tried to make it clear -- you
know, don't expect communiqu s and formal announcements and that kind of
thing. This is a chance for them to continue a personal relationship that's
valuable, not only because of the importance of the two countries but also
the candor and respect with which they conduct their conversations.

Q Will the former President sit in any discussions or --

MR. SNOW: I don't think so. I know that's been asked and I haven't had a
good answer for it. I'll try to find out, but I don't think so.

Q How close is that civilian nuclear deal?

MR. SNOW: Don't know yet. I mean, that's -- I'll go ask Candi what she
thinks.

Q Did the First Lady get in? She's coming in, right?

MR. SNOW: Do you know when the First Lady gets in?

MR. DECKARD: I believe tonight. She comes in tomorrow. But I'll
double-check and get you that.

MR. SNOW: Yes, we'll get back when we get the schedule.

Q Mrs. Putin is not here; she's not coming?

MR. SNOW: I don't believe so. Keep in mind, he's on his way to South
America. This is -- he's sort of stopping here on the way through.

Q Thanks.

* * * * *

MR. SNOW: Very quickly, again, if you take a look at Fred's letter today,
we are responding to the request for documents. We are not discussing
requests for testimony. What, again, we are trying to do is to try to
preserve the prerogatives of the presidency, the confidentiality of advice
to the President; but we also think that it's important to try to work in a
spirit of accommodation, which we have been attempting to do. And we hope
that Congress will choose in time to do the same thing.

There you go. That's it. Thank you. Thank you very much.

Q -- least popular Congress, that's only --

MR. SNOW: No, no -- that's right, that is correct.

Q (Inaudible).

MR. SNOW: But there's a good way to recover the public faith. There's a
good way to recover public faith, which is to show an ability to work
constructively with the White House, rather than destructively.

Q You went up there and realized you forgot the nice part? (Laughter.)

MR. SNOW: No, no, no, no. No, I wanted to be precise because there was a
request for -- I wanted to be precise on how we deal with documents and
testimony.

Q Thank you.

END 10:24 A.M. EDT

*The President has not today formally asserted Executive Privilege as to
testimony by Ms. Miers and Ms. Taylor. However, as reflected in the
Department of Justice's advice, the legal principle is clear: the President
may properly assert executive privilege over their testimony on the US
Attorneys matter, just as he has done for subpoenaed documents.
Accordingly, if Congress continues to reject the President's offer of
accommodation, the President intends to assert Executive Privilege over the
testimony and direct Ms. Miers and Ms. Taylor not to provide testimony,
consistent with his instruction covering the documents.
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