White House Cites ‘Executive Privilege’ To Block Inquiry On ‘Eviscerated’ Global Warming Tes

Now this is just ridiculous!!

Using EXECUTIVE PRIVILEGE so nobody knows what's on a reprt about Global Warming?

White House Cites ‘Executive Privilege’ To Block Inquiry On ‘Eviscerated’ Global Warming Testimony

Last month, Centers for Disease Control (CDC) officials revealed that the White House “eviscerated” the congressional testimony of CDC President Julie Gerberding on the “Human Impacts of Global Warming.” The deletions included “details on how many people might be adversely affected because of increased warming” and the scientific basis of specific diseases impacted by climate change.

Last week, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) wrote to President Bush “requesting a full accounting of what occurred during that review process.” Appearing on MSNBC today, Boxer said the administration has stonewalled her efforts, claiming executive privilege:

Many pages of it were redacted… And by the way, we wrote the President. He gave our letter to Fred Fielding, the chief counsel over there, his counsel, who said ‘executive privilege, I don’t have to tell you what she wrote.’ … So yes, I think they are hiding this. I think they are hiding a lot of things. It’s their way, it’s their habit, it’s wrong.

This is from a CDC official:
White House ‘Eviscerates’ CDC Director’s Senate Testimony On Global Warming

CDC officials are now revealing that the White House heavily edited Gerberding’s testimony, which originally was longer and had more “information on health risks“:

“It was eviscerated,” said a CDC official, familiar with both versions, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the review process.

The official said that while it is customary for testimony to be changed in a White House review, these changes were particularly “heavy-handed,” with the document cut from its original 14 pages to four. It was six pages as presented to the Senate committee.

The White House’s deletions included “details on how many people might be adversely affected because of increased warming and the scientific basis for some of the CDC’s analysis on what kinds of diseases might be spread in a warmer climate and rising sea levels.”

Why??

Why would the President, who was elected by the people to serve them in their best interests, keep information like this from Congress, when this information could help them to make necessary decisions and preparations that may help the people of the US in coming years?

I just don't understand Bush!


[edit on 7/11/07 by Keyhole]