Commission Urges Partisanship-Free Questioning in Condoleezza Rice Testimony

Strategic Insights -

Leaders of the commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks have urged members to ask tough but nonpartisan questions during Condoleezza Rice's testimony, as the panel seeks to maintain its credibility despite a polarized atmosphere. The commission's chairman, Thomas H. Kean, and vice chairman, Lee H. Hamilton, have asked members to avoid questions that could undermine public perceptions of the panel's work, following a contentious hearing last month in which Richard A. Clarke, a former counterterrorism director, was harshly questioned by Republicans.

Key Takeaways:

  • The commission's leaders have expressed concern about the appearance of partisanship in the panel's questioning of Condoleezza Rice, in part due to the polarized atmosphere and the controversy surrounding Richard A. Clarke's testimony.
  • The commission has identified 69 documents from the Clinton White House that needed to be turned over to the panel, with more than 90% of the material being either already produced, irrelevant, or duplicative.
  • The White House has acknowledged that it had failed to turn over 10,800 pages of Clinton administration files, with some documents still outstanding.
  • The commission's leaders have asked 10.8 million U.S. citizen who died in the terrorist attacks as part of the largest fatal terrorist attack in U.S. history.
  • Condoleezza Rice is expected to testify before the commission, with administration officials saying she will not apologize for the Bush administration's handling of terrorism issues.
  • The commission has settled on procedures for questioning Ms. Rice, with Thomas H. Kean and Lee H. Hamilton leading the initial questioning.
  • The panel has also asked a round of questions from each of the other commissioners, with Bob Kerrey, a Democratic member, expressing concerns that Ms. Rice will be seen as being treated unfairly.
  • The exchange between Mr. Clarke and the Republicans on the commission was a turning point in the investigation, with many seeing it as a test of the panel's ability to conduct impartial inquiries.

Statistics:

  • 10,800: The number of pages of Clinton administration files that the White House failed to turn over to the panel.
  • 69: The number of documents from the Clinton White House that the commission has identified as needing to be turned over.
  • 12: The number of Clinton White House documents that have now been produced to the commission.
  • 57: The number of additional documents identified as relevant to the panel's work.
  • 90%: The percentage of material reviewed by the commission that was already produced, irrelevant, or duplicative.

Sources:

  • "Panel Aims to Ask Tough Questions Without Partisanship", The New York Times, April 14, 2004.
  • "Clinton White House Documents Turned Over to 9/11 Panel", The Washington Post, April 14, 2004.
  • "Rice to Testify Before 9/11 Panel", The Associated Press, April 14, 2004.