[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 17]
[House]
[Page 23854]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           THREE SIMPLE STEPS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore (Mrs. Miller of Michigan). Under a previous 
order of the House, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Conyers) is 
recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. CONYERS. Madam Speaker, today, as ranking member of the Committee 
on the Judiciary, I am calling upon the White House to take three 
simple steps which would send a signal that they want to get to the 
bottom of the growing controversy concerning the leaking of a CIA 
operative's name to the press.
  The first thing I would ask them to do is to call upon the Attorney 
General to appoint a special counsel. The second thing I would ask that 
they do is to order any and all staff advisors to comply with a lie 
detector test. Third, I would ask the President to order his staff and 
advisors to waive any journalistic privilege they have as confidential 
sources with regard to the press.
  This probe has led to the following news breaks: NBC, Brokaw, the 
leak: Did someone in the White House blow the cover of a CIA agent to 
discredit a critic of the administration?
  This is from the National Journals daily briefing on politics. CBS's 
Rather: The CIA scandal charges that the White House blew the cover of 
an undercover CIA agent. An investigation is launched.
  ABC's Jennings: the President's advisor says he did not leak the name 
of a CIA officer whose husband criticized the President.
  CNN's Jay King: the President quickly left the room after this 
afternoon's bill-signing, ignoring shouted questions. His spokesman 
says Mr. Bush sees no need for an internal White House investigation 
and no need for an outside investigation by a special prosecutor.
  White House chief of staff Andy Carr told senior staffers Monday that 
anyone with information about the leak should contact the Justice 
Department. But at this time, there is no formal directive to the White 
House staff, and the President is not asking for an internal review, 
despite reports that the illegal leak came from within the White House.
  CNBC's Seigenthaler, tonight on the news: Did someone at the White 
House break the law by leaking the name of a top secret CIA agent?
  FNC's Hume: Washington is in a frenzy over the alleged White House 
leak of a CIA agent's identity, but is there any evidence that it was 
the White House?
  NBC's Miklaszewski: At the White House today, President Bush was 
beginning to feel political heat.
  And CBS's Roberts: the White House tried to jump out in front of the 
potentially damaging controversy today, insisting that it would never 
authorize the leaking of a CIA operative's name.
  Now, my recommendation is that the President call upon the Attorney 
General to appoint a special counsel. It is the only way to ensure the 
American public that the investigation will be performed fairly and 
impartially, to call upon the Attorney General to appoint the special 
counsel.
  Now, if we read the Code of Federal Regulations, volume 28 at section 
600.1, the Attorney General is required to appoint a special counsel 
when a ``criminal investigation of a person or matter is warranted''; 
and, two, the investigation ``by a United States Attorney's Office 
would present a conflict of interest for the Department''; and, three, 
``it would be in the public interest to appoint an outside special 
counsel to assume responsibility for the matter.''
  Now, it so happens all of the facts are present here. First, the 
allegations, if true, constitute an obvious serious criminal violation 
under 50 United States Code section 421. The disclosure of a name of a 
covert agent is punishable by up to 10 years in a Federal prison.

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