White House Gaggle

By Lovisa Frost
White House Gaggle
January 17, 2006

President’s schedule

President Bush had his usual intelligence briefings this morning. At 9.10
am, the President will host the visit of the Prime Minister of Belgium in

the Oval Office. At 9.55 am, the President participates in the annual
meeting with the National Commander of the American Legion.
This afternoon, President Bush will meet briefly with members of the
Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board.
White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan will brief the press at 1pm
today.
Today at 11.30 am, Secretary Leavitt of the Department of Health and Human Services, will participate in a conference call together with administrator Mark McClellan of the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, (CMS), to update people on the enrollment numbers, and what they are doing to correct some of the start up problems they have experienced.

Al Gore and the Wire Tap Program

When asked about the President’s view of Al Gore’s statement yesterday,
suggesting that the President is violating the law with his wire tap
program, McClellan said, "I think his hypocrisy knows no bounds".
McClellan continued to cite Attorney General Gonzales who pointed out how
the Clinton-Gore administration engaged in warrant-less physical searches.
McClellan continued to defend the program stating that, "It focuses on
very targeted and limited authorization that is aimed at detection and
prevention of attacks, as its main focus is on international communication
where someone is associated with al-Qaida." McClellan also said that the
legal authorization has been spelled out very clearly by the Attorney
General and the Department of Justice. "This is a vital tool in our
efforts in disrupting plots and preventing further attacks inside the
United States."

Attack on Pakistani village

When asked if the President authorized the attack on the village in
Pakistan, McClellan said that he would not discuss specifics regarding
operational activities. "Pakistan is a valued ally in the war on
terrorism, and we work closely with Pakistan and others to go after
al-Qaida and bring their leaders to justice."