
Bush meets with CIA Director George Tenet, Vice President Dick Cheney and National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, left to right, in the Oval Office Sunday
An angry Bush trying to plug leaks to media
October 8, 2001 Posted: 11:30 PM EDT (0330 GMT)
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Angered at leaks from classified briefings, President Bush ordered key department heads last week to restrict their briefings of members of Congress to the four major leaders and the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate intelligence committees, sources told CNN on Monday.
He also called the four leaders to explain his decision and said he was furious that sensitive intelligence material that was shared with Congress was being repeated to the news media, two sources familiar with the calls told CNN.
The top Democrats in Congress, Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-South Dakota, and House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt, D-Missouri, expressed approval of the new policy.
"The president told me about it, and I agree," Daschle said. "It's unfortunate, but there's no choice. Some people just can't resist talking."
A Democratic aide in the House said Gephardt would support Bush's judgment.
"You have to give the White House the benefit of the doubt, and if that means keeping secure information close to the vest, then that's what they have to do," the aide said.
http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/10/08/ret.bush.secrecy/I remember this one
Men at work: President George W. Bush receives an update on the status of military action in Iraq Thursday morning, March 20, 2003, in the Oval Office. Present are Vice President Dick Cheney, CIA Director George Tenet and Chief of Staff Andy Card. (US State Department)
http://www.governmentrelations.ubc.ca/informed/may2003/feature.html