White House Press Secretary Pummeled Again On Air Force One
White House press secretary pummeled again on Air Force One
http://rawstory.com/news/2005/White_...Forc_0714.html
Aboard Air Force One / En Route Indianapolis, Indiana / 11:55 A.M. EDT / Press Gaggle
They have been speaking about whether the President will sit down with the new NAACP president, Julian Bond. White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan says he probably will, and the questions about Rove begin.
Q Will Karl come back and talk to us at the event?
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MR. McCLELLAN: No, I don't expect that today.
Q Why not?
MR. McCLELLAN: I just don't -- there's no plans for him to do that.
Q How long is he going to stay on the staff?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, I think I expressed the President's views yesterday, when it comes to Karl.
Q Remind me, how long is he going to stay on the staff?
MR. McCLELLAN: That's a nice try to keep bringing up questions relating to media reports about an ongoing investigation. As the President indicated yesterday, we are not going to prejudge an ongoing investigation based on media reports. The President directed the White House to cooperate fully, and that's what we've been working to do. And we will be more than happy to talk about the investigation after it is completed.
But the President -- I again made clear yesterday that when it comes to the President's confidence in Karl and his support for him, I made clear our views.
Q Does the President believe it's appropriate for the RNC to continue to weigh in on this matter? They put out another memo today, with a top-10 Joseph Wilson lies. If indeed it's an ongoing investigation and it's improper for the White House to discuss it, does he think it's proper for the Republican Party to weigh in on it?
MR. McCLELLAN: You know, Geoff, I appreciate the question, and as you heard me say yesterday, we are not going to prejudge the outcome of the investigation based on media reports. And I'm not going to get into --
Q What about the RNC, though, Scott?
MR. McCLELLAN: No, I said, I'm not going to get into discussing matters relating to an ongoing investigation. We'll let the investigation come to a conclusion, and then I'll be more than happy to talk about it, as will the President.
Q Does the President -- did he yesterday get his --
MR. McCLELLAN: What I'm telling you is that those are all questions relating to an ongoing investigation.
Q Did the President get his news yesterday about Justice Rehnquist's health from media reports?
MR. McCLELLAN: Well, Andy Card and I did, and Andy Card and I informed the President in the Oval Office yesterday, shortly after the news reports came out. I think that that was the case previously, when the Chief Justice went into the hospital, we didn't have any advance notification either.
Q So why is it acceptable for him to base his information about the Chief Justice's health on news reports, but not about an investigation within the West Wing? What's the distinction there?
MR. McCLELLAN: Oh, I think there's a lot of distinctions there. This is relating to an ongoing criminal investigation. There are clear distinctions in that. That's a nice try to get us to discuss an ongoing investigation, but I think we need to let that investigation continue.
Q Let me just try one last thing, Scott, because I wasn't here yesterday.
MR. McCLELLAN: Hang on, hang on. I'll come to your question, Geoff. I'd like an opportunity to be able to talk before you all jump in, too.
We have said for quite some time that this is an ongoing investigation, and that we weren't going to get into discussing it. So that's not something that's new as of this week.
Q But should the RNC be talking about it?
MR. McCLELLAN: Again, I said yesterday, and we have been through a couple of days of questions relating to this investigation, I said I'm happy to talk about it once it's over, but until that time, we'll let the investigation continue.
Q How about Wilson? He was on the shows --
MR. McCLELLAN: We're trying to be helpful to its coming to a successful conclusion.
Q Wilson was on the shows today. He basically said there was a massive cover-up being conducted by the White House, and that Rove should be fired. What do you say to Wilson?
MR. McCLELLAN: The President said we're not going to get into prejudging the outcome of an ongoing investigation, based on media reports and --
Q I'm talking about Wilson, I'm not talking about the investigation.
MR. McCLELLAN: We'll let the investigation continue and come to a conclusion, and then we'll be happy to talk about it at that point. But these -- Adam, these are all questions relating to an ongoing investigation, and I indicated yesterday that there's really nothing more to add to what we've already said.
