by TChris

Did the White House counsel feed questions for Richard Clarke to Republican members of the 9/11 commission?

White House counsel Alberto R. Gonzales called commissioner Fred F. Fielding, one of five GOP members of the body, and, according to one observer, also called Republican commission member James R. Thompson. Rep. Henry A. Waxman, the ranking Democrat on the House Government Reform Committee, wrote to Gonzales yesterday asking him to confirm and describe the conversations.

Waxman believes such ex parte contacts would be improper because "the conduct of the White House is one of the key issues being investigated by the commission."

In fairness, let's hear the other side of the story:

White House spokesmen were unable to get a response from Gonzales. Fielding did not return phone calls seeking comment. Thompson declined yesterday to say whether he spoke with Gonzales.

Maybe we'll hear their story when they've got one ready.