It’s All Clear
Jun 23rd, 2007 at 8:55 am by Susie
If we ever had any doubt that they’re criminals who think they’re above the law, this clears that right up:
WASHINGTON — The White House said Friday that, like Vice President Dick Cheney’s office, President Bush’s office is exempt from a presidential order requiring government agencies that handle classified national security information to submit to oversight by an independent federal watchdog.
The executive order that Bush issued in March 2003 covers all government agencies that are part of the executive branch and, although it doesn’t specifically say so, was not meant to apply to the vice president’s office or the president’s office, a White House spokesman said.
[...] from the start, Bush considered his office and Cheney’s exempt from the reporting requirements, White House spokesman Tony Fratto said in an interview Friday….”We don’t dispute that the ISOO has a different opinion. But let’s be very clear; this executive order was issued by the president, and he knows what his intentions were,” Fratto said. “He is in compliance with his executive order.”
Fratto conceded that the lengthy directive, technically an amendment to an existing executive order, does not specifically exempt the president’s office or the vice president’s office from the requirements. Instead, it refers to “agencies” as being subject to the requirements, which Fratto said did not include the two executive offices. “It does take a little bit of inference,” Fratto said.
Cheney’s office rejects rules for classified data…
WASHINGTON | Vice President Dick Cheney’s office has refused for four years to comply with a…