White House Gaggle

By Lovisa Frost
White House Gaggle
May 3, 2007
Briefer: Tony Snow
By Lovisa Frost

The President’s Schedule

The President had his normal briefings. At 9 am, he made remarks on the National Day of Prayer in the East Room of the White House. President Bush will then depart for the Asamblea de Iglesias Cristianas, Centro Evangelistico, Washington DC, where he will participate in a meeting on immigration and assimilation.

Tony Snow will brief the press at 12.15 pm

War Supplemental Bill

When asked if the President is satisfied with Congress taking until Memorial week to come up with funding for the troops, Snow said that the President has urged Congress to move as quickly as possible.
Snow said that [White House Chief of Staff] Josh Bolton is up on Capitol Hill today, meeting with Senators Reid and McConnell. There will be continuing conversations with members of the House and the Senate.
Snow was also asked about how long this will take, and he said that he did not know; but continued to say that there was an expression of good will from both parts trying to get it done as soon as they can. "We were very pleased with the tone of the meeting yesterday. Everybody agreed to proceed, not only in the spirit of getting something done, but also in an attitude of mutual respect."

Immigration

When asked about the meeting on immigration today, Snow said that the President will reiterate the need for comprehensive immigration reform, and the importance for assimilation.

Syria

When asked if there will be a meeting with Syria, Snow talked about the Iraq Neighbors Conference, and how the President has instructed Secretary Rice to encourage everybody in the region to support Iraq and the newly formed government of Iraq.
The Secretary might have an opportunity to speak on an informal basis with the Foreign Ministers of Syria and Iran, Snow said, but also reiterated the importance of understanding that, if there are such meetings they will be informal and non-bilateral.
"If an opportunity does present itself to speak, she will repeat what the President has said many times . . . you need to support this government and not undermine it," Snow said.

Stuart Bowen investigation

When asked about the investigation of Stuart Bowen, [U.S. special inspector general for Iraq reconstruction], Snow said that there is no White House investigation.
Snow then explained that there is a council called the President’s Council of Integrity and Efficiency, which was created by executive order in 1992. The idea is that if people raise charges or allegations against inspectors general they cannot look at themselves objectively, so therefore an independent body was set up to do so. "The White House has no control of this, no authority over this, and no ruling over this, it is completely independent".

Firing of the US Attorneys

Snow was asked to comment about Representative Sanchez’s statement that the White House continues to be an obstacle in completing this investigation, and Snow replied that the White House has delivered over 6, 000 pages of documents, and offered to send anyone they would want to Capitol Hill to talk. Snow stated, "We made our offer and made clear what our positions are."

Israel

When asked about the President’s opinion regarding the pressure on the Israeli Prime Minister to resign, Snow did not want to comment on it, but said that," the President has a good working relationship with the Prime Minister, and looks upon him as a man who is committed to a two-state solution and working constructively towards it."