Committee Requests Secretary of State Rice to Testify

From the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform

[This is the first investigation of war lies since the Democrats took the majority!]

The Committee has formally requested Secretary Rice to testify before the Oversight Committee on April 18th regarding the Administration’s claims that Iraq sought uranium from Niger, White House treatment of classified information, the appointment of Ambassador Jones as "special coordinator" for Iraq, and other subjects.

March 30, 2007
The Honorable Condoleezza Rice
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20520

Dear Madam Secretary:

On March 12, 2007, I sent you a letter renewing, as formal requests of the Committee, prior letter requests that I sent to you between 2003 and 2006. These requests sought information on the claim that Iraq sought uranium from Niger, White House treatment of classified information, the appointment of Ambassador Jones as "special coordinator" for Iraq, and other subjects. My March 12 letter is attached.

The March 12 letter requested a response by March 23 to several of the inquiries, but the Committee received no response from you.

I now request your appearance before the Committee at a hearing on Wednesday, April 18, 2007, at 10:00 a.m. in Room 2154, Rayburn House Office Building. At this hearing, you will be asked to provide testimony and respond to questions on the subjects outlined in the March 12 letter and the original request letters.

I understand that as Secretary of State, there are significant demands on your time. If April 18 is an inconvenient date, the Committee staff is available to discuss an alternative date in April for your testimony.

The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is the principal oversight committee in the House of Representatives and has broad oversight jurisdiction as set forth in House Rule X clauses. Information for witnesses appearing before the Committee is contained in the enclosed Witness Information Sheet.

If you have any questions, your staff can contact David Rapallo or Theodore Chuang of the Committee staff at (202) 225-5420. We look forward to your testimony.

Sincerely,
Henry A. Waxman
Chairman

Enclosure
cc: Tom Davis
Ranking Minority Member