FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 06, 2006

CONTACT: Brendan Daly/Jennifer Crider 202-226-7616

Pelosi on Libby Case: ‘Intelligence Must Never Be Classified or Declassified For Political Purposes’

Washington, D.C. – House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi released the following statement today in response to new reports that indicted former Chief of Staff to Vice President Cheney, Lewis Libby, testified to a grand jury that President Bush authorized him to disclose intelligence information concerning Iraq:

“I am troubled by news reports that President Bush may have authorized Mr. Libby to disclose intelligence information to support the Administration’s case for war in Iraq.  I served for 13 years on the House Intelligence Committee, and I know intelligence must never be classified or declassified for political purposes. 

“One of the constants in the Bush Administration’s miserable record on Iraq has been the manipulation of intelligence precisely for political purposes.  That has caused our intelligence -- which used to be accepted without question around the world -- to be viewed with skepticism by the international community. 

“The requests of the American people for honest answers about Iraq have been met with shifting rationales and stonewalling by the Bush Administration.  It's long past time for the truth.”

“ Democrats are united in presenting a New Direction for America, one that will make our nation as strong as its people, one that brings opportunity, security, and prosperity to all Americans. ”

Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi