Waxman Requests White House E-mails From RNC

House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) has asked the Republican National Committee to provide his committee with copies of all the emails sent by administration officials “for partisan political purposes.”

Waxman, who is traveling in the Middle East this week with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), sent a letter to RNC Chairman Mike Duncan on Wednesday requesting his political committee to provide the government reform panel with emails that are still stored on RNC servers.

The government reform chairman is following up on revelations that surfaced during a hearing last week that White House political aide J. Scott Jennings delivered a 28-page PowerPoint presentation to political appointees at the General Services Administration about the GOP’s top federal and state targets for the current election cycle.

Committee members grilled GSA Administrator Lurita A. Doan about the presentation last week, and Waxman is investigating whether Doan or any of the approximately 40 GSA employees who attended the briefing violated the Hatch Act, which prevents federal employees from participating in partisan activities on government time.

Waxman is requesting any electronic messages sent or received by Jennings, top White House political adviser Karl Rove or any other White House officials using RNC email accounts regarding:

(1) the January 26, 2007, PowerPoint presentation at GSA
(2) the presentation of any similar political briefings at other federal agencies or to other federal employees, or
(3) the use of federal agencies or resources to help Republican candidates

This is the second such letter Waxman has sent to the RNC.

"We are going to respond appropriately" to the request, said Lisa C. Miller, the RNC communications director.

White House officials often maintain email accounts through the RNC on which to send politically sensitive messages prohibited under the Hatch Act.

To read the entire letter, click on the link below.