WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Rep. Mike Honda (San Jose, CA) issued the following statement regarding recent reports that a top US general advised, within days of the 2004 fratricide of Army Corporal Pat Tillman, that President Bush be warned not to say that Cpl. Tillman was felled by enemy fire:

“The fact that a US Army general not only knew that Corporal Tillman was felled by friendly fire soon after the fact, but that he advised his superiors to inform President Bush of this fact underscores the imperative of Congressional hearings on the matter.

“Was the President informed of the true cause of Pat Tillman’s death? If so, why did the President or his subordinates fail to immediately inform the Tillman family? If not, why was the Commander in Chief not informed, and why did successive layers of the military command continue claiming that Tillman was killed by enemy fire?

“A multi-layered veil of secrecy continues to shroud the death of an American hero. The time for Congressional oversight is well past due.”