Monday, September 29, 2003

Lieberman Demands White House Preserve Records and Cooperate Fully with Investigation into Disclosure of CIA Agent’s Identity

WASHINGTON – Senate Governmental Affairs Committee Ranking Member Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., Monday announced his intention to re-introduce the Independent Counsel Reform Act in the coming days and issued the following statement regarding the Justice Department’s investigation into the disclosure of a CIA agent’s identity.

“The alleged disclosure by the White House of the identity of a covert government operative is not just an outrage and an embarrassment to our government. It is also likely a crime. It must be investigated – immediately and independently. “I call upon the President’s Chief of Staff, Andrew Card, to show that the White House understands the serious nature of this offense and to do everything in his power to ensure that investigators have the full cooperation of the White House. The Administration’s condemnation of this serious breach so far has been half-hearted and underwhelming. “Mr. Card must:

“Direct all White House personnel to maintain all records, phone logs, e-mails, correspondence – including personal records, e-mails, and phone logs – and anything else that may relate to these events and make clear that anyone destroying or otherwise tampering with these records will be fired. This direction should include a mandate to the White House’s archivists and information technology personnel to ensure that any paper or electronic records dating to the relevant time period will be maintained and are ready to be turned over to the Justice Department.

“Instruct all White House personnel to cooperate with any request from those investigating the matter – whether that request is for interviews, government records or personal phone logs or email accounts, and make clear that lack of cooperation will be grounds for immediate dismissal.”

“Immediately make clear to the public and to his staff that disclosing this information was unacceptable, that anyone who is found to have disclosed it will be immediately fired, and that any relevant information will be turned over to the investigatory authority.” “I also intend to reintroduce the Independent Counsel Reform Act – which I and several colleagues introduced in 1999 – to reassure a skeptical public that criminal investigations of those at the highest levels of power will be insulated from the political influence of the very people under suspicion.”