Reply #8: Did Secret Wolfowitz Meeting Violate Federal Advisory Committee Act?

[ProSense]

October 09, 2006

Did Secret Wolfowitz Meeting Violate Federal Advisory Committee Act?

The Federal Advisory Committee Act was enacted to formalize disclosure requirements and make transparent those who advise on federal government policy.

Vice President Cheney was in a substantial tug-of-war with the Legislative Branch and the Supreme Court for a while about not submitting to FACA and disclosing participants in an important advisory session he convened on national energy policy. But his refusal to submit did not make FACA disappear.

It seems to me that the secret advisory meeting called by Paul Wolfowitz on November 29, 2001 that brought various public intellectuals together to help marshall the best arguments for an Iraq invasion was possibly a violation of FACA.

This secret meeting was disclosed in Bob Woodward's new book State of Denial. No one has yet raised the question of whether this meeting was a violation of FACA rules.

more...