http://rawstory.com/exclusives/byrne/slaughter_conyers_gannon_response_425.htm
House members call on White House press secretary for more answers on
'Gannon'
By John Byrne | RAW STORY Editor
Rep. Louise M. Slaughter (D-NY) and Rep. John Conyers (D-MI issued a
letter Monday afternoon to White House press secretary Scott McClellan
calling for more answers to their continuing investigation into how
discredited conservative reporter "Jeff Gannon" got access to the
President, RAW STORY has learned.
The letter was written after a review of documents released to Rep.
Slaughter and Conyers by the Secret Service, first published on RAW
STORY.
The records showed that "Gannon," who previously or was currently
working as a male escort, was given access on more than 200 occasions
to the White House.
According to the members' review, Gannon logged 196 entries; RAW
STORY's review found Gannon sometimes entered on more than one day and
on fourteen occasions failed to check out.*
The letter to McClellan follows.
###
LETTER TO SCOTT McCLELLAN:
April 25, 2005
Scott McClellan
Assistant to the President and Press Secretary
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20500
Dear Mr. McClellan,
We write to ask you to identify who in your office, or in the White
House generally, gave Mr. James Guckert a.k.a. "Jeff Gannon" virtually
unfettered access to the White House.
In reviewing the response to our Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) to
the Department of Homeland Security several of our specific concerns
were validated.
While your office and the White House have claimed Gannon was treated
as just another reporter, the records we have obtained affirm that
Gannon was granted access to the White House which appears to be
unusual for any reporter.
Out of concern for not only security, but also avoiding White House
dissemination of propaganda, we request an explanation to the
following:
1.
The Department of Homeland Security's records indicate that Mr.
"Gannon" entered the White House Complex 196 times in the past two
years.
He attended 155 of the 196 press conferences held at the White House
in the two year period.
This is disconcerting considering that your office and "Mr. Gannon"
have maintained that his access was sporadic.
At what point is a "hard pass" required?
2.
The records show that Mr. "Gannon" was allowed access to the White
House 38 times when no public press events occurred.
He also spent hours in the White House both before and after press
events took place.
With whom did he meet on those occasions and what was the subject
matter of those meetings?
3.
On 13 occasions there is a record where he checked in with security,
but is never registered as leaving the White House complex.
How do you explain this?
4.
Your Media Assistant, Lois Cassano, requested a total of 48 day passes
for Mr. "Gannon" which helped facilitate his access for nearly 200
times over the last two years.
It is nearly impossible that she would have made Gannon such a
priority without direction from a supervisor.
Would you like to revise your claim that, "I don't involve myself in
that process, it's handled at a staff level."[1]
These records appear to confirm our concern that Gannon was treated in
a manner that deviated from standard White House procedure for
determining who receives press credentials, and to what degree members
of the press and public are granted access to the White House complex.
In fact, these entry and exit records only raise more questions, as
your office has issued conflicting statements about his activities and
apparently abused the press pass policy to avoid a full-fledged
background investigation and allow Republican propaganda to be
disseminated through a counterfeit media operation and a fake
reporter.
Mr. McClellan, we have yet to receive any direct communication from
your office in response to our repeated requests for information.
The American people deserve to know what is happening in the White
House Briefing room.
It is unacceptable that you continue to deny them this information.
Sincerely,
/s
Rep. Louise Slaughter
Ranking Member
House Rules Committee
Rep. John Conyers, Jr.
Ranking Member
House Judiciary Committee
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