Bush agrees to meet 9/11 panel but declines to testify in public

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Bush agrees to meet 9/11 panel but declines to testify in public
Commission wants more time to pursue full inquiry

Dan Eggen, Washington Post
Saturday, February 14, 2004

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2004/02/14/MNGHO517JC1.DTL


Washington -- President Bush has agreed to meet privately with the independent commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks but has ruled out offering any testimony in a public setting, according to a White House statement released Friday night.

In addition, the commission's executive director said that Vice President Dick Cheney, former president Bill Clinton and former Vice President Al Gore have all tentatively agreed to provide similar private testimony to the panel. None has committed to testify publicly.



"While the chair and vice chair have suggested the possibility of a public session at a later time," the statement continued, "we believe the president can provide all the requested information in the private meeting, and there is no need for any additional testimony."


The two sides reached an agreement earlier this week that will provide the commission summaries of relevant intelligence briefings provided daily to the president, a deal that angered some Democrats on the panel who favored broader access to the sensitive documents.

That compromise followed the announcement on Feb. 4 that the White House, which had opposed an extension of the commission's May 27 deadline, would support a two-month delay. Any postponement would require the approval of Congress, and key Republicans on Capitol Hill remain opposed.