Some Progress

While the White House continues to stonewall on the NSA wiretapping issue and the firing of the USAs, Rep. Henry Waxman has succeded in striking a deal on his efforts to investigate how the Executive Branch (and Dick Cheney) have been handling classified information. Recall that the whole "fourth branch of government" came to a fore, in part, over Dick Cheney's refusal to comply with an executive order on handling classified information. It seems that there have been even larger problems with how the White House handles classified information.

The heads of the office[White House Security Office or WHSO], just-departed director James Knodell and deputy Ken Greeson, took no action when presented with charges that aides to President Bush and Vice President Cheney left classified documents strewn throughout hotel rooms and across their desks, and they themselves took cellphones and Blackberries into secure facilities in violation of protocol.

Waxman's House Government Oversight Committee has been pursuing this issue for some time now, with little cooperation from the White House. The committee had gotten to the point where unless they got access to interview current and former White House officials who could speak to the alleged pattern of abuse, the committee would issue subpoenas. Apparently Fielding and Waxman have agreed on terms for the interviews. Interestingly

The White House has consented to "transcribed interviews" with Alan Swendimen, director of the Office of Administration; Mark Frownfelter, an ex-security officer; and former WHSO head Jeff Thompson.

So for this investigation the White House will agree to transcription of the interviews. The perjury trap question isn't relevant here. Why? Why then are they opposed to even transcripts for the interviews with Harriet Miers and with Sara Taylor? What is it that makes these two so much more likely to commit perjury if they have their comments transcribed.