Return to Transcripts main page

CNN Saturday Morning News

GAO Sues White House for Access to Energy Task Force Documents

Aired February 23, 2002 - 09:04   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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: The White House is vowing to fight an unprecedented lawsuit to force the release of what it calls "privileged energy task force documents." Vice President Dick Cheney is personally named in the suit.

CNN White House correspondent Major Garrett joins us now, more, for some reaction on this -- Major.

MAJOR GARRETT, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Kyra.

It's a clash right out of a civics textbook. You have two great American principles at stake, the public's right to know versus a president's ability to obtain and keep private candid advice from outside sources. That's really the essence of this dispute between the White House and the General Accounting Office.

As far as the White House reaction, well, it was swift and all too predictable. Deputy White House press secretary Scott McClellon telling CNN yesterday, "We've been waiting to fight for this important principle since the GAO said they were going to file since last summer." The important principle, the White House says, is any president, this or future president's ability to seek outside advice from energy lobbyists or any other kind of lobbyist when it develops a national policy of any kind.

The White House says simply the GAO has overstepped its jurisdiction, cannot ask for the contents of deliberations between the White House staff that put together the president's energy policy, and any of the people with whom that task force met, whether they were industry lobbyists from the energy industry or lobbyists from labor unions or environmental groups. The task force met with all kinds.

Congressional Democrats say the White House description of those meetings as being very benign and ordinary may not be true. They want to know what happened in those meetings, and they've asked GAO to investigate.

This will now go to court, and the White House reaction generally is, We think we're going to win this case. It's an important principle we're going to defend, and we'll see the GAO in court -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Now, Major, national energy policy is actually the topic of President Bush's radio address next hour. What can you tell us about that?

GARRETT: Well, the president's going to key up the Senate debate. The House has already passed an energy bill. The Senate will take it up sometime later this week after it deals with campaign finance reform. The White House understands that its energy policy is not going to be endorsed fully by the Senate, but the president will say the country needs an energy policy, so it is less dependent on foreign sources of oil.

It will push hard, the president will in his radio address, for opening drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. But privately here at the White House, they are already conceding defeat on that. They do not have the votes in the Senate to break a filibuster. They'd need 60 to do that.

What they hope to show in the energy debate is there are at least a small majority of senators, maybe 51, 52, 53 who are actually willing to back drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, not enough to make it happen, but enough to make a point -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right, Major Garrett, live at the White House, thanks so much.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com