Calls Get Louder For Kerry’s Intel Committee Records
mensnewsdaily.com ^ | August 18, 2004 | Jeff Gannon, Talon News
Republicans continue to press Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry to release his attendance records from his tenure on the Senate Intelligence Committee. Television ads that began airing Monday call into question the Massachusetts Democrat's commitment to reforming America's intelligence community.
Kerry served on the panel from 1993 to 2000 and according to official records missed 76 percent of the public committee hearings during that time. During his eight years of service on the committee there were 49 open, public hearings. Of these 49, Kerry attended just 11. Among the most notable of those he missed is the June 8, 2000, hearing on the report of the National Commission on Terrorism, which warned about the terrorist threat faced by the United States and recommended numerous steps to address that threat.
In 1994, the year following the first terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, Kerry missed every committee hearing, including a hearing on the report of the Joint Security Commission. The report warned in part, "The bombing of the World Trade Center and the assassination of two CIA employees in Virginia heightened our sensitivity to the fact that terrorist activities against Americans can occur domestically as well as abroad."
Not included in the attendance figures is Kerry's presence at closed-door meetings. Those records could only be released to the public with the senator's permission. Republicans in Congress are challenging Kerry to make a full disclosure of his attendance records for his tenure on the committee.
On Sunday's "Meet The Press," Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS), Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee said that both Kerry and Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) should allow the release of their attendance records.
He said, "The easiest way out of this is for John Kerry and John Edwards to request of Senator Rockefeller and myself to release the attendance hearings -- not only the public hearings, which they have rebutted, but the closed hearings."
Sen. John Warner (R-VA), another member of the committee, said that Kerry should simply release the attendance records if he disputes the Bush-Cheney ad.
"So I would go to what is solid, incontrovertible fact, and that is the records that each committee keeps with regard to the attendance at every hearing of all the members, whether they're there or not," Warner told CNN. "Now, those records are available. John Kerry, if he questions the authenticity of this ad that's out there now, should simply get those records and put them into the public domain."
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) added his voice to the controversy when he issued a similar challenge.
"So I would like to call on Senator Edwards and Senator Kerry today to publicly release their attendance records at the private, or classified, hearing on the intelligence committee so the American people can really know the truth," Cornyn said.
Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), also a member of the committee, said, "The fact of the matter is, even though he claims to have gained a lot of that expertise by serving on the senate intelligence committee, during his eight years of service on the intelligence committee there were forty-nine public hearings held by the intelligence committee, and John Kerry was absent from thirty-eight of those forty-nine hearings."
He added, "That does not include the classified hearings. ... And I would hope that he would agree to release to you the record of his attendance at meetings and hearings of the Senate Intelligence committee over the last year and a half, or his total service on that committee."
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) also called on his Senate colleague to disclose his attendance records.
"The other illustration of lack of leadership with regard to this issue is the question of the intelligence," Kyl said. "And since I served on the Intelligence Committee with Senator Kerry for eight years I believe, I call for him to disclose his attendance at the briefings and hearings of the Intelligence Committee. The classified briefings and hearings of course are not on our public record, but he could make his attendance public."
Kyl continued, "John Edwards was on the committee and came on later, and he missed half of the public hearings as well. But I think that they should both disclose their record of attendance in the Intelligence Committee."
House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) also weighed in.
He said, "This is something that needs to be done, and I join Senator Roberts, Senator Chambliss, Senator Cornyn and others in calling on him to do so, so that the American people can judge the whole picture for themselves."
mensnewsdaily.com ^ | August 18, 2004 | Jeff Gannon, Talon News
Republicans continue to press Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry to release his attendance records from his tenure on the Senate Intelligence Committee. Television ads that began airing Monday call into question the Massachusetts Democrat's commitment to reforming America's intelligence community.
Kerry served on the panel from 1993 to 2000 and according to official records missed 76 percent of the public committee hearings during that time. During his eight years of service on the committee there were 49 open, public hearings. Of these 49, Kerry attended just 11. Among the most notable of those he missed is the June 8, 2000, hearing on the report of the National Commission on Terrorism, which warned about the terrorist threat faced by the United States and recommended numerous steps to address that threat.
In 1994, the year following the first terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, Kerry missed every committee hearing, including a hearing on the report of the Joint Security Commission. The report warned in part, "The bombing of the World Trade Center and the assassination of two CIA employees in Virginia heightened our sensitivity to the fact that terrorist activities against Americans can occur domestically as well as abroad."
Not included in the attendance figures is Kerry's presence at closed-door meetings. Those records could only be released to the public with the senator's permission. Republicans in Congress are challenging Kerry to make a full disclosure of his attendance records for his tenure on the committee.
On Sunday's "Meet The Press," Sen. Pat Roberts (R-KS), Chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee said that both Kerry and Sen. John Edwards (D-NC) should allow the release of their attendance records.
He said, "The easiest way out of this is for John Kerry and John Edwards to request of Senator Rockefeller and myself to release the attendance hearings -- not only the public hearings, which they have rebutted, but the closed hearings."
Sen. John Warner (R-VA), another member of the committee, said that Kerry should simply release the attendance records if he disputes the Bush-Cheney ad.
"So I would go to what is solid, incontrovertible fact, and that is the records that each committee keeps with regard to the attendance at every hearing of all the members, whether they're there or not," Warner told CNN. "Now, those records are available. John Kerry, if he questions the authenticity of this ad that's out there now, should simply get those records and put them into the public domain."
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) added his voice to the controversy when he issued a similar challenge.
"So I would like to call on Senator Edwards and Senator Kerry today to publicly release their attendance records at the private, or classified, hearing on the intelligence committee so the American people can really know the truth," Cornyn said.
Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-GA), also a member of the committee, said, "The fact of the matter is, even though he claims to have gained a lot of that expertise by serving on the senate intelligence committee, during his eight years of service on the intelligence committee there were forty-nine public hearings held by the intelligence committee, and John Kerry was absent from thirty-eight of those forty-nine hearings."
He added, "That does not include the classified hearings. ... And I would hope that he would agree to release to you the record of his attendance at meetings and hearings of the Senate Intelligence committee over the last year and a half, or his total service on that committee."
Sen. Jon Kyl (R-AZ) also called on his Senate colleague to disclose his attendance records.
"The other illustration of lack of leadership with regard to this issue is the question of the intelligence," Kyl said. "And since I served on the Intelligence Committee with Senator Kerry for eight years I believe, I call for him to disclose his attendance at the briefings and hearings of the Intelligence Committee. The classified briefings and hearings of course are not on our public record, but he could make his attendance public."
Kyl continued, "John Edwards was on the committee and came on later, and he missed half of the public hearings as well. But I think that they should both disclose their record of attendance in the Intelligence Committee."
House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) also weighed in.
He said, "This is something that needs to be done, and I join Senator Roberts, Senator Chambliss, Senator Cornyn and others in calling on him to do so, so that the American people can judge the whole picture for themselves."
