GONZALES: Yes. But I went back and clarified it with the reporter...

[rodeodance]

Has anyone heard any follow up on this?



http://blog.washingtonpost.com/benchconference/2007/07/post_39.html?hpid=topnews

Rough Justice - The Case Against Alberto Gonzales


Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV
Gonzo on the Hill: A Comedic Tragedy

.........

SCHUMER: I'd like to just pick up where Senator Specter left off, about the TSP program. Just a few preliminaries.
First, I take it that there was just one program that the president confirmed in 2005. There was not more than one.

GONZALES: He confirmed one, yes, intelligence activity. Yes, one program.

SCHUMER: Thank you. OK. Now, you -- and you've repeatedly referred to the, quote "program," that the president confirmed in December 2005. Let me just -- I'm going to put up a chart here. Here's what you said before this committee on February 6th of 2006. You said, quote, "There has not been any serious disagreement about the program the president has confirmed. With respect to what the president has confirmed, I do not believe that these DOJ officials that you were identifying had concerns about this program." This was in reference to a question I asked you, "Was there any dissent here?"

This was before Comey came to testify. It was in February. But we had some thoughts that maybe that happened. And now, of course, we know from Jim Comey that virtually the entire leadership of the Justice Department was prepared to resign over concerns about a classified program. Disagreement doesn't get more serious than that. And what program was the ruckus all about? And this is the important point here. At your press conference on June the 5th, it was precisely the program that you testified had caused no serious dissent. You said, "Mr. Comey's testimony" -- and he only testified once -- "related to a highly classified program which the president confirmed to the American people some time ago."

SCHUMER: These are your words, right? You don't deny that these are your words. This was a public press conference.

GONZALES: I'm told that in fact here in the press conference I did misspeak, but I also went back and clarified it with the reporter.

SCHUMER: You did misspeak?

GONZALES: Yes. But I went back and clarified it with the reporter...

SCHUMER: When was that? And which -- what was the reporter's name?

GONZALES: At The Washington Post two days later.

(CROSSTALK)

GONZALES: Dan Eggen was the reporter.

SCHUMER: OK. Well, we'll want to go follow up with him. But the bottom line is this: You just admitted there was just
one program that the president confirmed in December...

GONZALES: The president...

SCHUMER: ... just one. Is that correct, sir?

GONZALES: The president talked about a set of activities...

SCHUMER: No, I am just asking you a yes-or-no simple question, just as Senator Specter has. And just like Senator Specter and others here, I'd like to get an answer to that question. You just said there was one program. Are you backing off that now?............