The Political Chase

It’s all a big misunderstanding

The State Department issued a statement late yesterday in response to Rep. Henry Waxman’s (D-MI) letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice regarding Blackwater’s scheduled

There seems to be some misunderstanding with regard to this matter. All information requested by the committee has been or is in the process of being provided.

Blackwater has been informed that the State Department has no objection to it providing information to the committee. We have offered to make available for testimony those officials in the best position to respond to the specific issues the committee has raised.

The statement strongly implies State intends to fully comply with the House Committee on Oversight and Reform’s requests, with the possible exception of ambiguity regarding who may testify, which may possibly be centric to the State Department’s response. If not, someone is either backpedaling (viz. State) or has not been completely forthright. Consider what Stephen M. Ryan, Blackwater’s counsel, wrote (pdf) to Committee Chairman Waxman on Monday.

In the fluid setting of a Congressional hearing it may become difficult, if not impossible, for Blackwater personnel to meet the terms of [the State Department's demands], unless the Chairman or Ranking Member take action both in advance of the hearing and at the hearing to obtain [the State Department's] approval for disclosures that Blackwater would need to make for its testimony to be complete.

Ryan’s letter to Waxman and State’s statement, on the surface, are in stark contrast with each other. Moreover, I find it hard to believe Blackwater’s lawyer would respond to the Committee’s requests, much less declare it may not comply, without consulting with the State Department first.

Furthermore, with respect to Condoleezza Rice’s testimony, it is hard to believe Waxman would simply lie and say he was told Rice would not testify. While it is clear in Waxman’s letter to Rice that he had not received confirmation from Rice regarding her scheduled testimony, one can only assume Waxman was led to believe by a source he deemed credible that Rice would not testify.

The money statement from State is: “We have offered to make available for testimony those officials in the best position to respond to the specific issues…”