http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A40853-2004Feb13.htmlThe Senate will hold its first closed-door session in five years to discuss the nation's intelligence- gathering operations, the chamber's top Democrat said yesterday.
Minority Leader Thomas A. Daschle (D-S.D.) said he and Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) have agreed to the session, which would bar the public and news media, but have not settled on a date.
A Frist aide said the two leaders are "headed in that direction," although critical details, such as the date and scope of the session, have yet to be worked out. The aide did not dispute that the two leaders intend to order a closed session in the near future. Other Senate officials said Daschle and Frist have discussed a possible session the week of March 1.
The last time the Senate held a closed session was in February 1999, during President Bill Clinton's impeachment trial. Its most recent private session involving national security matters was in 1997, focused on the chemical weapons treaty. (emphasis mine)
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