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Waxman: White House lax on protecting secret docs |
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By Kevin Bogardus
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Posted: 06/26/07 01:08 PM [ET] |
The chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee wrote to the White House Tuesday, saying that he has received evidence that several requirements for protecting classified information have been “flaunted.”
In a letter to White House Counsel Fred Fielding, Rep. Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) laid out several examples of “dangerously inadequate” practices after current and former security personnel employed at the White House contacted his staff.
In his letter, the chairman says that unannounced inspections of West Wing offices by the White House’s own internal security agency, the White House Security Office, have been blocked, while the White House Security Office never investigated security breaches reported by Secret Service or CIA agents. Furthermore, White House aide Karl Rove had his security clearance renewed in late 2006, contrary to guidelines issued by President Bush. And managers of the White House Security Office have “ignored basic security procedures,” according to security officers.
Waxman wrote his letter in reaction to White House spokeswoman Dana Perino’s statement that the White House was generally following rules and regulations on the handling of classified information — notwithstanding some disputed oversight issues with the National Archives’ Information Security Oversight Office (ISOO).
According to another letter by Waxman sent last week, Vice President Dick Cheney rebuffed oversight by the ISOO. Cheney’s staff led an effort to abolish the office as well.
Waxman also wrote in Tuesday’s letter that repeated interview requests with White House security officials have not been answered. If none are scheduled soon, the chairman said, he will recommend issuing subpoenas at the committee’s next business meeting on Thursday.
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