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McClellan: Bush must blame himself for mistrust
(Agencies)
Updated: 2008-06-21 09:58 Rove left the White House last August. He has never been charged in the case. McClellan told the House panel he doesn't know if a crime was committed and does not believe that Bush knew about or directed the leak. When asked about Cheney, he replied: "I do not know. There's a lot of suspicion there." Fratto disputed the notion that the Plame issue concluded with Libby's conviction, freeing the White House to talk about it openly. He pointed out that she and Wilson are suing several administration officials. "The White House has the consistent position that we would refrain from comment while there was ongoing litigation," Fratto said. "Scott must have forgotten the policy he repeatedly stated from the podium." McClellan cited several other examples, some stemming from the Plame incident, of what he said was a lack of candor pervading the Bush administration. The White House had said in 2003 and 2004 that anyone who leaked classified information in the case would be dismissed. By July 2005, Bush qualified his position, saying he would fire anyone for leaking classified information if that person had "committed a crime." When Cheney accidentally shot a friend during a hunting trip in 2006, McClellan initially quoted the owner of the ranch as saying that the injured man had been at fault for not letting Cheney know he was nearby. Cheney himself later said it was not his friend's fault. |
