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CNN Live Saturday

Battle Between White House and GAO Comes to a Head

Aired January 26, 2002 - 18:05   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: Well, the battle between the White House and Congress' investigative arm is coming to a head now. The General Accounting Office says that it will decide this week whether to file its first lawsuit against the administration if the administration does not turn over information related to the vice president's energy task force. The response from the White House is, "see you in court."

The story now from CNN White House correspondent Kelly Wallace.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

KELLY WALLACE, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The week President Bush delivers his first State of the Union address might also be the week he and his aides make history as the first administration ever to be sued by Congress' investigative arm, the General Accounting Office.

The GAO is threatening to take the administration to court for refusing to release information about last year's closed-door meeting the Vice President Cheney's Energy Task Force. A senior administration official tells CNN -- quote -- "we would not be surprised if they take it to court. When they do, we'll see them in court. We do not expect they would prevail."

Mr. Bush's spokesman says this is about protecting the president's ability to get advice in private.

ARI FLEISCHER, WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN: The principle that you've heard articulated here many times before about the rights of Americans to come and talk to their government, of people of all kinds of meetings, all variety of settings from all types of different backgrounds have a right to have a meeting where anything they say is not turned into a news release.

WALLACE: But the pressure on the White House increased last week when four Democratic senators wrote the GAO backing its pursuit and when a member of the president's own party said this...

SEN. FRED THOMPSON (R), TENNESSEE: It's better. Let's get everything out and get it over with. I don't think there's anything there that they're concerned about, frankly.

WALLACE: This all comes as questions linger over whether Enron and its executives, among the largest to Mr. Bush's presidential campaign had undue influence with the Energy Task Force. In a letter Friday to the vice president, Democratic Congressman Henry Waxman charges the administration added a provision in its energy plan late in the process that would have benefited Enron's international interests by encouraging domestic oil and gas production in India.

Waxman and other Democrats say they simply want to know what role, if any, Enron played in crafting the energy plan.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: If they don't have anything to hide, they ought to let it out. If they want to be suspected, they ought to keep on hiding things.

WALLACE (on camera): Late Saturday, the head of the GAO said he remained hopeful this matter could be resolved without having to go to court. But if his agency does file a lawsuit, the question will be whether the White House's fight for what it calls principles causes it any political damage.

Kelly Wallace, CNN, the White House.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CALLAWAY: In the public's view, the Bush administration's record on Enron leaves much to be desired. There have been many complaints about how it has handled the collapse of the energy giant. Here's our latest CNN "TIME" poll.

It shows the public is also split over whether the White House is covering up any important information. Nearly one in five Americans are unsure, and the public is much more complimentary of the president's handling of the war on terrorism in Afghanistan and here at home, which you can see.

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