Frist Denounces Memo on Senate Iraq Probe

Associated Press ^ | 7 Nov 03 | KEN GUGGENHEIM

[Laverne]

The Senate's top Republican sharply accused Democrats Friday of undermining the Senate Intelligence Committee in their zeal to score political points against President Bush.

Majority Leader Bill Frist of Tennessee also suggested that an escalating partisan fight over the committee's inquiry into prewar intelligence could prompt the panel to finish its investigation more quickly than had been anticipated.

Frist was the latest Republican to denounce a Democratic memo leaked this week that outlines a strategy for exposing contradictions between intelligence reports and Bush's claims about Iraqi weapons programs.

The memo suggested that Democrats "pull the majority along as far as we can" on issues leading to major new disclosures and said that the best time to "pull the trigger" on launching an independent investigation would probably be next year. Republicans note that would time it for the presidential election.

Frist, in a floor speech, said the plan would "so politicize the Intelligence Committee as to render it incapable of meeting its responsibilities to the United States Senate and to the American people."

He said "those responsible for this memo appear to be more focused on winning the White House than they are on winning the war against terror."

Frist said the staff member who wrote the memo should be identified and Democrats should renounce the document and apologize to the committee's chairman, Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas.

The panel's top Democrat, Sen. Jay Rockefeller of West Virginia, has said that the document was written by a staff member but never circulated among senators and had apparently been stolen. He has not renounced the document though, saying it reflected frustration over the Republicans' refusal to examine whether the administration manipulated prewar intelligence.

The Senate's No. 2 Democrat, Harry Reid of Nevada, said: "It wouldn't have been made public but for the majority."

"And doesn't the minority have a right to, in the secret confines of the Intelligence Committee rooms, have pieces of paper there that aren't going to be pilfered by the majority?" he said.

The committee inquiry is examining the accuracy of intelligence on former leader Saddam Hussein's weapons programs and his ties to terrorists, the issues that served as Bush's main argument for war.

Frist's comments suggested that the committee will speed up the work in light of the Democratic memo. On Tuesday, Roberts said it would be difficult to complete an interim report before the Senate adjourns late this month or in December. He said he didn't know if a draft report could be circulated among committee members before they return in January.

But Frist said Friday he and Roberts determined that the review will be finished this year.

"There will be no more pulling along and no more useful collaboration on partisan schemes," he said, alluding to language in the memo.

A past Democratic leader on the committee, former Sen. Bob Kerrey of Nebraska, said Frist's comments risk escalating divisions on a panel that has been traditionally nonpartisan. He said Frist and the Senate Democratic leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota "should get together and they should calm this thing down." He said it is up to the leadership to protect the committee from political pressures.

"Only Frist and Daschle can calm the waters," he said.

[Eva]

Sean should just tell them that the memo was leaked by a Democrat named Deep Throat.

[Laverne]

I sent Hatch an email today; I wasn't as polite as I coulda/shoulda been; told him he needed to grow a pair on this issue. Will he?

[Ben Hecks]

"Here you go. CSPAN starts around post 50, or maybe a little earlier:"

Thanks!!!

[Laserman]

You'll also notice they immediately came out with the bogus claim about the US not following up on Iraqi pre-war offers of a deal. That was strictly to give them cover for dodging the memo story! What a scam.

[Laserman]

I sent him one too with the same message. My message to Roberts was that if he was not man enough to stand up for what is right, perhaps he should hand over the committee leadership to someone who is.

[expatpat]

The libs would raise a chorus from every corner that Rockefeller must resign if the boot was on the other foot.

[Southack]

If you'll notice, the current Dem spin is that only Frist and Daschle can calm the waters over this memo. That essentially means that Democrats are willing to let this issue drop.

Republicans, on the other hand, are pressing forward. And consider...we *know* how we got the memo and who it came from. We aren't so foolhardy as to press an issue in which we are at fault. If this memo was Watergate Part Duex, then we'd be dropping it right now. We aren't.

So this is obviously an issue on which the Dems will suffer. The only question is how far will they fall (based of course, upon how much they fight the inevitable).

[jimkress]

The deomcRATs commit treason and then whine that the Republicans made it public?

These people are pathetic!

[Laverne]

I sent Roberts an email yesterday as well. Perhaps another one is in order on the magnitude of yours. The dems are running roughshod over our guys, I just can't believe they don't have the courage of convictions to call the rats on their treasonous or near-treasonous behavior on this one. I also called Kyl's office and told him to keep it up; don't let the dem spin take over. And of coure I called Dahsole and Reids office and laid into them, big time! :-)

[Judith Anne]

I didn't notice that, but thanks for telling me about the Dem spin on Daschle and Frist.

I don't think Frist is going to back down. On CSPANII today I saw several Republican senators saying that this was not going to go away, and that the Intel Committee cannot function under these circumstances with information that sensitive at stake. I guess that means no more intel freebies for Billary, national or international.

And if I'm not mistaken, Frist appeared to be cheery and calm about the prospect of a judicial nominations filibuster.

I say we keep the heat on, with calls, emails, and faxes, over the weekend. I have to work but I'll be back Monday, FReepin' my lil fingers off. I'm DEFINITELY not finished with being angry--and with the Hypocrat (love that word, bless the FReeper I borrowed it from) spin that the memo was "stolen" and with NO apology for it or credible explanation of who wrote it-- I'm sure I'll STILL be angry on Monday.

[cardinal4]

I'm also with Sen. Kit Bond, (Mo, R) that this memo came from the very highest reaches of the Dem party, and by that I think he means McAuliffe-Billary.

100% right. Frists worth to me will be proven in the next few days. He has proven completely ineffectual in dealing with the Dems on judgeships. If you reacall his first day in Lotts old job, he was dogged by Hillary over fund sharing in the comitees. Now is the time for him to stand up to the Clinton cartel of Mcauliffe-Billary...

[tubebender]

It really appears that the network press is not going to cover this attempted coup. Watch and report on the weekend spin shows...

[Right_in_Virginia]

The memo suggested that Democrats "pull the majority along as far as we can"...and that the best time to "pull the trigger" on launching an independent investigation would probably be next year.

The memo "suggested"....ah, I think the memo did more than that.

[Judith Anne]

If he doesn't do some good, and show some heat, I'm going to send HIM a few emails. I'll copy them to FR. ;-D

[foreshadowed at waco]

by that I think he means McAuliffe-Billary

I think that you're right...if the Republicans really push this...and it's zeros in on Rockefeller....will he take a hit for the the home team or will the players rebel against the lousy, scum sucking managers of the team and take back their party by standing up for their country?

[Judith Anne]

iirc, Rockefeller has already "taken responsibility" for the memo being written, though Sen. Bond thinks it came from "much higher up--the highest reaches of the Democratic party."

Rockefeller, far from being a sacrificial lamb, is claiming that "someone" STOLE the memo from one of his trash cans or something, which I find incredible given the security that must exist in those vaulted Intel Committee offices, frankly.

And Sen. Reid (D) said "stolen memo" about a hundred times in the Senate today. I saw him on CSPAN.

What BS.

[freedom4me]

Don't you just wish we had a Senate counterpart to Tom "The Hammer" Delay.

I think Tommy D. needs to give ol' Bill some lessons in how to play hardball.

[fini]

If the Repubs really wanted to demonstrate concern, the chairman of the intelligence committee would shut down the intelligence committee until each member of the senate publicly renounces the memo.

[Laverne]

I thought he did that the other day; he did cancel a scheduled meeting over this issue. I presume he will continue to do so; at least I hope he does. Also he should send a letter to each of the intelligence agencies (CIA, DIA, State, WH, NSC...) and tell them to withhold all information from this committe from here-to-forward until this issue is resolved. The dems have shown they only want the intel to undermine our President, our troops, and our country; they should NOT be given an iota of information.

[Judith Anne]

Yes, he did cancel that meeting, for that reason. And Kyl or one of them made the point today that NO intelligence service, foreign or domestic, would entrust ANYONE on the committee with ANY information, because the committee was compromised by the memo.