Senators ask Rumsfeld to allow military personnel to talk to base closing panel
The lawmakers asked Rumsfeld to assure them that members of the military would not be discharged, demoted or face any other penalties for providing information to the commission.
Thirteen senators have asked Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to allow military personnel to speak freely to the independent Base Closure and Realignment Commission about his recommendations to shutter more than 33 major military installations.
In the letter Monday, the senators asked Rumsfeld to assure them that members of the military would not be discharged, demoted or face any other penalties for providing information to the commission.
"To enable the BRAC Commission to obtain authoritative information regarding decisions on military value taken by the department in connection with its recommendations, we request that you permit any member of the Armed Forces to freely answer questions and/or provide to the commission testimony as to the military value of any military installations," the senators wrote.
"If the commission feels it needs to get information from an individual, that person can do that," the spokesman said.
A spokeswoman for Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, said the letter was a "pre-emptive move" so military personnel can speak openly during regional BRAC hearings, which get under way Wednesday in Alaska.