U.N. Probe Chief Fights Congress Subpoena

U.N. Probe Chief Fights Congress Subpoena
6:06 AM EDT,May 7, 2005
By NICK WADHAMS, Associated Press Writer

UNITED NATIONS -- The chief of the U.N. oil-for-food probe accused Congress of jeopardizing his work and asked a House committee to return secret documents, saying the lives of some witnesses could be at stake. But the Republican lawmaker who heads the committee promptly refused.

Former Federal Reserve chairman Paul Volcker is seeking to dampen controversy over recent claims by Robert Parton, a former FBI agent who quit the U.N. probe in protest. Parton says Volcker's inquiry played down evidence that incriminated Secretary-General Kofi Annan.
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He also asked the House International Relations Committee to return secret documents Parton has given it, warning that witnesses could be threatened if anything leaks out.

"We're not playing games here, we are dealing -- and let me just emphasize this -- in some cases with lives," Volcker said.

But Illinois Republican Henry Hyde, the chairman of the committee, rejected the request, saying in a statement late Friday that he appreciates "the gravity of the concerns" but his panel has "an obligation to continue its inquiry."
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Youthfully indescreet moment, Henry Hyde