Congressional Record: October 9, 2001 (Senate)
Page S10355-S10356
CLASSIFIED INFORMATION
Mr. DORGAN. Mr. President, about a half hour ago, President Bush was
in the Rose Garden for a ceremony. During the question-and-answer
period, the President expressed some great concern--in my judgment,
justifiable concern--about the leaking of classified information that
was given to some Members of Congress. Apparently, at least a couple
Members of Congress, on a couple of occasions, have leaked that
information to the press.
In my judgment, the President has every right to be very upset about
that. This country has asked its young men and women in military
service to risk their lives in this time of national emergency. As they
undertake military operations in parts of the world that are thousands
and thousands of miles from here, it ill-serves our country's interests
to have any Member of Congress, under any circumstance, at any time,
going to a classified briefing and then disclosing the information from
that classified briefing to a member of the press.
The solution, I might say, is not, however, for the administration to
stop briefing the Congress about classified material. The solution, I
would urge the President, would be for us to find out which Member of
Congress has leaked classified information and then make certain that
this Member of Congress--House or Senate--is not given classified
information in the future.
I know this is a difficult area and a difficult set of circumstances,
but this country faces some very difficult days ahead.
The September 11 terrorist attacks that were committed against this
country changed almost everything. The need for security is quite
evident to almost everyone in this country.
The terrorist attacks require this country to respond. The President
had no choice. We cannot ignore those attacks. We had to respond to
those attacks. And the President has the full support of the American
people in his response, in my judgment, and certainly the full support
of the Congress.
But I just want to say that the President was dead right this
afternoon in
[[Page S10356]]
expressing anger about the disclosure--the unlawful disclosure and
unauthorized disclosure--of classified information. Members of the
House or the Senate who would disclose classified information to the
press that they received in classified briefings do no service to this
country.
I would hope the administration and the President, rather than
deciding they will not share that information with Congress, would
decide that they would sanction those who have misused that classified
information.
In order for Congress to do its work, and in order for the committees
in Congress to do their work, information must be made available, even
classified information. But the President is correct that information
must be treated as classified, treated as top secret, and cannot be
given to the press. An unauthorized disclosure, in my judgment,
undercuts this country's interests.
I hope the President's admonition today, and I hope the discussion by
other Members of Congress about this, will convince the administration
they ought to continue the briefings. They are helpful and important as
a part of this process. But some of us in Congress full well understand
the President's concern about the unauthorized leaks that have
occurred.
____________________