Lawmakers: Bush Withheld Tillman Documents
White House Cites "Executive Branch Confidentiality Interests" In Withholding Info On Friendly Fire Death
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Specialist Pat Tillman marches as he performs the honor of being the guidon bearer during graduation ceremonies Friday morning, Oct. 25, 2002 on Sand Hill at Fort Benning, Ga. (AP/Columbus Ledger Enquirer)
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"Pat's death was clearly the result of fratricide," Kevin Tillman, right, told a Congressional hearing of the death of his brother, Pat Tillman, left, on April 24, 2007. (AP)
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Former U.S. Army Private Jessica Lynch listens to emotional testimony April 24, 2007 given during hearings conducted by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. (Getty Images/Karen Bleier)
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The White House and Defense Department have turned over nearly 10,000 pages of papers — mostly press clippings — but the White House cited "executive branch confidentiality interests" in refusing to provide other documents.
House Oversight Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., and Tom Davis, R-Va., the committee's top-ranking Republican, said Friday the documents were inadequate. They insisted that the Defense Department turn over the additional material by July 25 and asked that the White House do likewise.
Tillman, a San Jose native, turned down a lucrative contract with the NFL's Arizona Cardinals to join the Army following the Sept. 11 attacks. He was killed April 22, 2004, by friendly fire in Afghanistan.
Although Pentagon investigators determined quickly that he was killed by his own troops, five weeks passed before the circumstances of his death were made public. During that time, the Army claimed he was killed by enemy fire.
Tillman's family and others have said they believe the erroneous information peddled by the Pentagon was part of a deliberate cover-up that may have reached all the way to President Bush and then-Secretary of Defense Donald H. Rumsfeld. The committee said Friday it had scheduled a second hearing on Tillman's death for Aug. 1, this time to probe what senior Pentagon officials knew and when.
Rumsfeld and Richard Myers, the former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were among those the committee invited Friday to appear.
The White House has turned over nearly 1,100 pages of documents and the Defense Department nearly 8,500 pages since the committee requested information from them in April, part of an inquiry into why Tillman's family and the public were misled.
"The document production from the White House sheds virtually no light on these matters," Waxman and Davis wrote to White House counsel Fred Fielding, part of a renewed request for additional papers.
The committee made public a letter last month in which Fielding said the White House was holding back certain papers "because they implicate executive branch confidentiality interests." He added the White House had blacked out portions of "purely internal e-mails between White House personnel."
The White House's argument for withholding some papers is the same one it used last month as it rejected congressional subpoenas for documents in the firings of eight U.S. attorneys. Executive "confidentiality" is a lesser claim than "executive privilege"
more a polite way of declining than a firm refusal — and thus still leaves room for negotiation, congressional staffers involved in the matter said.
Fielding added the White House had blacked out portions of "purely internal e-mails between White House personnel."
Waxman and Davis fired back that "these are not appropriate reasons for withholding the documents from the committee." And they charged that the White House had simply held other papers back.
In particular, they expressed doubt that the two documents they'd received on communications between the White House and Pentagon on Tillman's death were the only ones of their kind. One was simply a packet of newspaper clippings.
"Corporal Tillman's death was a major national story," they wrote. "It is not plausible that there were no communications between the Defense Department and the White House about Corporal Tillman's death."
"The committee was fully aware that certain documents were withheld as our letter to them made clear last month — along with our offer to discuss possible accommodation that meets the committee's interests while respecting separation of powers principles," Blair Jones, a White House spokesman, said Friday evening. "We continue to offer an opportunity for the committee to move forward in a spirit of accommodation, rather than conflict."
Waxman and Davis complained to Defense Secretary Robert Gates of a "failure to provide a complete production to the committee." For instance, the committee received no documentation on how Rumsfeld learned of Tillman's death.
They said the Pentagon had not produced any papers from, among others, the offices of Gen. John Abizaid, then head of Central Command.
A week after Tillman died, a top general sent a memo to Abizaid warning that it was "highly possible" that Tillman was killed by friendly fire. The memo made clear that the information should be conveyed to the president. The White House said there is no indication that Bush received the warning.
Two days later, the president mentioned Tillman in a speech to the White House correspondents dinner, but he made no reference to how Tillman had died.
A White House spokeswoman did not immediately respond to requests for comment Friday.
Separately, Waxman asked the Republican National Committee for copies of e-mail communications that involved Tillman and White House officials. That request was an outgrowth of the oversight committee's finding last month that 88 White House officials had e-mail accounts with the RNC, and that the administration may have committed extensive violations of a law requiring that certain records be preserved.
© MMVII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.



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See all 115 Commentsoh so dangerous patrol missions over the Gulf of Mexico when others were dying in Vietnam. Now he covers up the legacy of a *genuine* hero, who unlike Bush went into harm's way. Sickening.
He is a liar to the core; a despicable human being!
This coward, this worthless, gutless piece of sh*it who was too yellow to go to war himself, lies about a hero to up recruitment for the war he's more then glad to send others off to die in for his profit and then claims executive privilege when investigators want to know what happened. You are scum George W. Bush. In fact you are lower then maggot puke. If there really was a god you'd be roasting in hell right now you god-da*mn bast*rad.
Oh and the above sentiment applies to anyone who still supports this lying pile of garbage that's trying to call itself a president. If you support him is this cr*ap, then you're just as much a low down maggot puke worthless piece of sh*it as he is.
But no one seems to care too much.
"Wouldn't it be more efficient to list the things that the Bush regime has NOT lied about?"
The list is shorter than this reply.
In short they will do ANYTHING, kidnapping, torture, imprisonment, you name it, to keep themselves and their off-stage sycophants raking in the blood money and subverting our government to tighten their grip on power.
But it seems that's OK as long as we have our laughtrack TV blather and the latest Paris Hilton drama to ooh and ahh over. Never mind real investigative journalism (B-O-R-I-N-G!) Pay attention to Congress? (Fuhgeddaboutit).
I seem to remember that someone once said that the people get the government they deserve. What's that flapping sound? Oh, just chickens coming home to roost.
"Wouldn't it be more efficient to list the things that the Bush regime has NOT lied about?"
The list is shorter than this reply.
Posted by brianbwb at 11:23 PM : Jul 13, 2007
- The George Walking-Liar Bush Son of George Walking-Liar Sr Bush, Son of W-Liar Bush... All Liars Dynasty. Long Live America under Walking-Liars legacy.
Still, I won't be surprised to see mudrose, pwrslm or one of those low lifes try it.
The manipulation of even Tillman's death wasn't beyond them - they have deceived this nation for too long on too many issues.
Screw impeachment - just put them in at Gitmo.
"Treason" : Was a criminal act !!!
No-More
Who said : The FBI is - "Not" -
A Criminal Organization !!!
Lastdance
I find that we have a lot of common ground, even though I have never supported Republicans, for this Black man, all I have ever seen during ny 50 years is that since post reformed democrat George Wallace, the most virulent right wing racists seem to be drawn to the Republican party, and they make no pretense of pandering to their wishes. The "party of Lincoln" has became the party of David Duke, Pat Robertson, Bush, Cheney, and their ilk.
Having said that, I however doubt if even a 100% Democrat government can clean up Bush's mess, as the big bribery fund called the business lobby will simply pay the Democrats to maintain the status quo, and if there exists information that might upset the status quo, I'm afraid the Democrats will also bury it.
The reason I am pessimistic is because I see the "old school" politicians (those in office before say 1980ish) are still concerned with concepts like keeping their party in power at all costs, even to their constituents, while the "new school" politicians are only interested in grabbing as much corruption booty as they can while in office, and to heck with anyone coming after them.
This I see as the logical evolution of unregulated capitalism, ever more efficient, and ruthless in the pursuit of capital, anything goes, as long as you can afford the fines and penalties, even human sacrifice...
press clippings...ahem...maybe they contain some secret code which could reveal the total and absolute insecurity of the bushits faced with the emblematic death of an American hero - by friendly fire......
it wasn't the end they wanted.....
Posted by lorinkundert at 11:59 PM : Jul 13, 2007
What are you babbling about? What does the CONGRESS have to do with this? I'm a Combat Veteran and the family of this man deserves to KNOW what went on and why they were NOT informed of this man's death in a proper way. You fascist make me sick with your division and hate methods! If you do not stop it you'll find yourself in the bunker with your fuhrer! Sieg Heil Bush
OK THE WHAT IN THE HELL ARE WE STILL THERE, AS THE PRESIDENT HAS STATED ONCE AL-MALIKI TELLS US HE DOESN'T WANT US THERE WE WILL LEAVE.
ITS TIME FOR OUR SEN/REPS TO REMINDE HIM OF WHAT HE HAS STATED..NOW LETS GET THE F/U/C/K/ OUT OF THERE.
Its like being the centerpiece of a collection of porcelain smurfs. They all get broken, but when the one everybody's talking about does, it has to be for the right reasons, and not an accident.
And when it tries to make them inspiration and movie star, it creates a vacuum of doubts and suspicions.
Posted by r9119111
It sounds like you are demanding that I do this for you. Instead, how about a ground-swell movement that we all support and get this thing moving? We have whined and complained for 6 years, but if we had started acting several years ago, Bush & Co would be gone by now. By the way, I am in favor of getting Bush and Cheney out, but you know that leaves us with Spineless Pelosi.
By the way - if we impeach Cheney first, it gives the Chimp an opening to appoint the person he wants. It might be someone like Harriett Myers, who we would never have as President, so we wouldn't impeach Bush.
I seriously doubt that we have to worry about Cheney. I think he died (heart ailments) somewhere around the 2nd year of Bush's first term. I think they have been using a body double whenever they need his presence. He never has been very animated, so they could switch someone in and tell them to rarely speak. Since most of us aren't that familiar with this dark presence, it would be easy to pass him off.
OK THE WHAT IN THE HELL ARE WE STILL THERE, AS THE PRESIDENT HAS STATED ONCE AL-MALIKI TELLS US HE DOESN'T WANT US THERE WE WILL LEAVE.
ITS TIME FOR OUR SEN/REPS TO REMINDE HIM OF WHAT HE HAS STATED..NOW LETS GET THE F/U/C/K/ OUT OF THERE.
so how about looking up how many times this dirt bag of a president and his side kick cheney has told all america that if they say they dont need us than we will leave.
so how about it mr president you said many times we will leave if they dont need us. so how about it..
congress and all media should be pounding what he has stated on tv many many times..put this in his face all day and night
As far as Bush administration goes, its time to do whats best for this country. Resign!
Our country simply cannot afford another 18 months of this adminstration.
They were using the Tillman story as a part of their propaganda effort to promote their wars and they didn't want inconvenient facts to get out about how he really died.
is there so much love of the demos toward the repub that they have to play so nice while the country goes to helll?
I myself am getting impatient from only hearing talk.
they say a dog that barks doesn't bite.
c'mon demos do something about di(k chainazz and bush.
I believe Vice-Presidential appointments like many others require advice and consent of the Senate and it is unlikely President Bush wants Harriet Miers to appear at a Senate confirmation hearing. She would have to answer all those question for which he claims executive privilege.
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