WASHINGTON – Risking a possible clash with the Senate, President Bush insisted Monday he will not turn over documents detailing the private advice that Supreme Court nominee Harriet Miers has given him while serving in the White House.
“That would breach very important confidentiality, and it’s a red line I’m not willing to cross,” he said in an apparent reference to bipartisan requests from the Senate Judiciary Committee. Miers has held three jobs in the Bush administration. Currently White House counsel, she has regularly advised the president on a range of sensitive topics.
Confirmation hearings for Miers begin Nov. 7. Bush named Miers four weeks ago to replace retiring Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
Meanwhile, a coalition of conservative groups that includes the Eagle Forum, the Center for a Just Society and ConservativeHQ intensified their opposition to Miers on Monday, launching two Web sites and planning radio and television advertising aimed at forcing her withdrawal.
Cheney cited as a link in CIA leak
Documents in the CIA leak investigation indicate the chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney first heard of the covert CIA officer from Cheney himself, The New York Times reported in today’s editions. The newspaper said notes of a previously undisclosed June 12, 2003, conversation between I. Lewis “Scooter” Libby and Cheney appear to differ from Libby’s grand jury testimony that he first heard of Valerie Plame from journalists. The newspaper identified its sources as lawyers who are involved in the case.
Approval pulled for ADHD drug
The FDA has withdrawn approval for a drug used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder because it has been associated with liver problems, including death, agency officials said Monday. The move means drug manufacturers will no longer produce generic versions of pemoline, which was developed by Abbott Laboratories and sold under the name Cylert.
Louisiana: FEMA approves guns
Following complaints from gun-rights groups, the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Monday it is lifting a ban on firearms at temporary housing parks built in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. Use of weapons is still prohibited in the parks, FEMA said.
California: Death warrant for Crip
A judge in Los Angeles signed a death warrant Monday for Stanley “Tookie” Williams, 51, a co-founder of the notorious Crips gang who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his children’s books. Williams is scheduled to die Dec. 13 at San Quentin prison. Williams was sentenced to death for fatally shooting Albert Owens, a convenience store worker, in 1979. He also was convicted of killing two motel owners and their daughter during a robbery that same year.
Maryland: 8-year-old girl bags bear
An 8-year-old girl killed the first black bear of Maryland’s 2005 hunting season, downing the 211-pound adult male with two shots from a .243-caliber rifle about an hour after dawn Monday, the Department of Natural Resources said. Sierra Stiles was hunting on her family’s farm in southern Garrett County.
North Dakota: Crash at hospital
An elderly woman on her way to a doctor appointment smashed her car into the Bismarck hospital’s lobby, sending five women to the emergency room, police said. The 87-year-old driver, Ruth Otto of Mandan, also was injured when she sideswiped the building and a car before cruising through a glass wall, Bismarck police officer Dave Horner said, adding that it was unlikely any charges would be filed against the driver.
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