John Dingell's (D-MI) email reply to a request for CIA leak investigation

November 8, 2005


Dear xxxxx:

Thank you for contacting me to express your concerns
regarding the use of intelligence by the current Administration. I
appreciate hearing from you and share your concerns.

As you know, Vice President Dick Cheney's former Chief
of Staff, Lewis Libby, has been indicted on five counts of perjury,
obstruction of justice, and making false statements in connection
with the disclosure of the identity of CIA operative Valerie Plame.

Democrats have asked the Government Reform Committee
four separate times to hold hearings on the disclosure of the CIA
operative and the broader issue of whether the President and his
top advisors used misleading intelligence to launch an unnecessary
war in Iraq. In addition, Resolutions of Inquiry were rejected in
the Intelligence, Judiciary, Armed Services and International
Relations Committees.

On November 3, 2005, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-
CA) offered a privileged resolution which "calls upon the
Republican Leadership and Chairmen of the committees of
jurisdiction to comply with their oversight responsibilities,
demands they conduct a thorough investigation of abuses relating
to the Iraq War, and condemns their refusal to conduct oversight of
an Executive Branch controlled by the same party, which is in
contradiction to the established rules of standing committees and
Congressional precedent." The Republican majority once again
suppressed minority views by defeating the resolution on the
House floor.

The Congress, as one of three co-equal branches
government, has a constitutional responsibility to investigate this
issue. This should not be turned into a partisan issue; the
American people deserve no less than the highest standard of
conduct from their elected officials who are expected to stand for
the values and ideals of this great nation. I will continue to support
efforts to compel the House majority leadership to permit the
Congress to fulfill its obligation to the country and its citizens.



Again, thank you for being in touch. For news on current
federal legislative issues, please visit my website at
www.house.gov/dingell; you can also sign up there to receive my
e-newsletter. In the meantime, please do not hesitate to contact me
again if I may be of assistance with this or any other matter of
concern.

With every good wish,

Sincerely yours,


John D. Dingell
Member of Congress

He makes me proud to be from Michigan. Dingell has been doing his job for a long, long time, mostly quietly, but very competently.