"Sausage McMuffin" continues to stonewall press... [View All]

Now he is stonewalling on Roberts and Rove. From today's briefing...

Q Has Karl Rove offered to resign, in view of his problems?

MR. McCLELLAN: Again, you keep asking these questions that are related to an ongoing investigation --

Q Does he still have his security clearance?

MR. McCLELLAN: -- and those are questions that have already been addressed.

Q No, they -- I've never heard this before. Have you?

MR. McCLELLAN: The question has been asked before.

Q We haven't heard an answer.

Q What was your answer?

Q There hasn't been an answer.

MR. McCLELLAN: Go ahead.

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Q Well, what's wrong with Roberts talking about, commenting on past decisions?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, there's going to be a confirmation hearing process, there are going to be all sorts of questions asked, and the Senate has the right to ask those questions. I know he looks forward to the hearings.

Q Will the White House encourage him to answer those questions?

MR. McCLELLAN: There will be plenty of time to talk about all those issues later.
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Q You said no White House officials have looked at the solicitor general's papers. Have any administration officials, perhaps people in the Justice Department?

MR. McCLELLAN: Well, the Justice Department -- previous Justice Departments have. You can direct questions to others. We have not seen or reviewed, is what I said, any of that information so we don't know what's in that information.

Q Can you tell me whether the -- any one in the current Justice Department has, or the Bush administration?

MR. McCLELLAN: I don't know what the rules are guiding that information. You can direct those questions to them.

Q I called them yesterday and they said they won't be answering these questions until they decide how they should answer these questions. (Laughter.) That's what I was told.

MR. McCLELLAN: You can direct those questions to them. I haven't heard any such thing. Maybe you were, but I haven't heard any such thing.

Q So you can't provide any -- can you direct them to answer the question?

MR. McCLELLAN: Talk to them about it.

Q I have a follow-up question, which is --

MR. McCLELLAN: You asked me to accept the premise of your characterization. I have no idea.

Q That's what I was told.

MR. McCLELLAN: I can speak from our standpoint, and no one has seen or reviewed that information from our standpoint. And I said, why, because it would be inappropriate to do so. Obviously, there are people that -- it may be appropriate for them to see that information. I don't know. You would have to ask the Justice Department.
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April, go ahead.

Q What about the meeting with the Prime Minister?

MR. McCLELLAN: I think that they've previously addressed that, why they had to postpone that trip.

Q Scott, why is it that you continue to cushion John Roberts' work during the Reagan administration --

MR. McCLELLAN: I don't cushion John Roberts -- oh, wait, Judge Roberts, okay, sorry. (Laughter.)

Q You continue to say, he was young. You've used those words consecutively for a couple of days. Are you aware of something that is getting ready to come out in the 65,000 documents from the Reagan era that will make this administration say, well, that was when he was young and he has now changed his mind, because there's a major --

MR. McCLELLAN: Okay, let me address that -- let me address that very quickly: No. (Laughter.)

Q Well, why do you continue to preface, he was young, then? Why do you continue to say that, because you lead us to believe that --

MR. McCLELLAN: Because I'm stating a fact.

Q Don't be smart about it. I'm looking for a serious answer.

MR. McCLELLAN: Ken, go ahead.

Gotta love "Sausage McMuffins"