White House Gaggle

By Gregory Gorman
July 18, 2005

President’s Schedule

The President had breakfast with the Secretary of State. Following breakfast, he and Mrs. Bush participated in a formal arrival ceremony for Dr. Manmohan Singh, the Prime Minister of India, and Mrs. Kaur on the South Lawn of the White House. At 10:10am, the President and the Prime Minister will meet in the Oval Office followed by a joint press availability at 11:15am in the East Room. In the afternoon, the President will have a photo opportunity with the 2005 National Spelling Bee Champion. This evening, the President and Mrs. Bush will host a dinner in the State Dining Room in honor of Dr. Singh and Mrs. Kaur.

Supreme Court Nominee

Press Secretary Scott McClellan was asked about the President’s schedule for naming his Supreme Court nominee. McClellan answered that the President wants a fair and respectful nomination process and that he has made a commitment to name his nominee in a timely manner and have him or her confirmed by the time the Court comes back in session in October. McClellan reminded the press corps that if the President wants to share information on his nominee, he will do so. When asked if it would be possible for him to comment on the President’s nominee announcement, McClellan said that it would be technically possible but that he does not have anything more to add. He went on to say that he knows "the Washington, DC game of guessing who is on the list or when the announcement will be made. I will not be getting into any of that".

Valerie Plame Leak Investigation

McClellan reiterated the administration’s stance that it will not discuss details of an ongoing investigation. McClellan said, "I want to talk about it and I look forward to talking about it once the investigation is over. The President has instructed us to cooperate fully with the investigation".

Ban on Handguns in the District of Columbia

McClellan was asked for the President’s response to Texas Senator Bailey Kay Hutchison’s push to remove the ban on handguns in the District of Columbia. He responded that he believed that he had discussed this before but that he will "double check" and let the press corps know.