Bush Aides Block Clinton's Papers From 9/11 Panel

This is just typical of the Bush administration. They can say that they were doing more than the previous administration and hold back evidence that might prove otherwise. They are just petty and silly to the point to where they are danger for the US and the world.

For Bush, it's so many secrets -- so little time left on the clock.

White House admits keeping Clinton files from 9/11 panel
White House admits keeping Clinton files from 9/11 panel
By Philip Shenon and David E. Sanger
The New York Times
April 2, 2004

WASHINGTON -- The commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks said Thursday that it was pressing the White House to explain why the Bush administration had blocked thousands of pages of classified foreign policy and counterterrorism documents from former President Bill Clinton's files from being turned over to the panel's investigators.

The White House confirmed on Thursday that it had withheld a variety of classified documents from Clinton's files that had been gathered by the National Archives in response to document requests from the commission, which is investigating intelligence and law enforcement failures before the attacks.

Scott McClellan, the White House spokesman, said that some Clinton administration documents had been withheld because they were "duplicative or unrelated," while others were withheld because they were "highly sensitive" and the information could be relayed to the commission in other ways.

"We are providing the commission with access to all the information they need to do their job," McClellan said.

The commission and the White House were reacting Thursday to public complaints from former aides to Clinton, who said they had been surprised to learn in recent months that three-quarters of the nearly 11,000 pages of White House files they were ready to offer the commission had been withheld.

The former aides said the files contained classified documents about the Clinton administration's efforts against al-Qaida.

"We have voiced the concern to the White House that not all of the material the Clinton library has made available to us has made its way to the commission," said Al Felzenberg, a spokesman for the bipartisan commission.

The general counsel of Clinton's presidential foundation, Bruce Lindsey, who was Clinton's deputy White House counsel and one of his closest advisers, said in an interview that he was concerned that the Bush administration had applied a "very legalistic approach to the documents" and might have blocked the release of material that would be valuable to the commission.

The debate over the Clinton files was disclosed as the commission announced that it had reached agreement with the White House to schedule a public hearing for Thursday, when Condoleezza Rice, Bush's national security adviser, will testify under oath.

The disclosure that many Clinton administration files involving counterterrorism had been withheld from the commission on the order of the Bush administration took several of the members of the panel by surprise.

"If it did happen, it's an unintentional mistake or it's another intentional act of the White House that will backfire," said Bob Kerrey, a former senator from Nebraska, who is a Democratic member of the commission.