From Irey's website:
Because we don’t know, Jack …*
On the Monday, June 26 edition of CNN’s “Situation Room,” hosted by Wolf Blitzer, New York Times editor in chief Bill Keller discussed the newspaper’s decision to publish last week details of a secret U.S. Government program to track terrorist financing.
Here’s a part of the exchange:
KELLER: To the best of my knowledge, three people outside of the administration were asked by the administration to call us. I spoke to one of them. One of them spoke to our Washington bureau chief. One of them spoke to Jill Abramson, our managing editor. All of them spoke, they thought, in confidence, and I don't think I will breach the confidence of what they said, although I will say that not all of them urged us not to publish.
BLITZER: Because in the letter from the treasury secretary, he specifically refers to former Democratic Congressman Lee Hamilton, who, together with the chairman of the 9/11 Commission, Governor Tom Kean of New Jersey, appealed to you not to print this information. I assume you can confirm Lee Hamilton, since the treasury secretary has disclosed his name.
KELLER: I am happy to tell you who we spoke to. I think I'll leave it to them to tell you what they actually said, but I will say that...
BLITZER: Who were the three people outside of the administration that asked you not to report this information?
KELLER: Tom Kean, Lee Hamilton and Congressman Jack Murtha.[1] <#_ftn1>
Some analysts have noted that because Treasury Secretary John Snow has publicly named former 9/11 Commission co-chairmen Tom Kean, Sr., and Lee Hamilton as people he knew to have talked to officials of the New York Times, and because Mr. Keller has indicated that New York Times officials received calls from three people outside the Administration – to wit, Tom Kean, Sr., Lee Hamilton, and U.S. Rep. Jack Murtha – but then goes on to say that “not all of them urged us not to publish,” the question is raised as to whether or not Jack Murtha actually urged the New York Times not to publish.
Today’s question for Jack Murtha:
Did you or did you not urge senior officials of the New York Times not to publish the offensive article?
Did you or did you not urge senior officials of the New York Times not to publish the offensive article?
When I heard that Murtha called the Times, I just assumed he had urged them NOT to publish it. I should have known better! This is a question that Murtha should answer.