Veto threat made on intelligence bill

The House is expected to approve a massive bill on Thursday authorizing programs and spending for the nation's intelligence community, even though the White House has threatened to veto it because it would increase the number of lawmakers who can be briefed on secret CIA activities.

The White House issued its threat on Wednesday, citing the provision that would override the administration's ability to limit briefings to only the top Democrat and Republican on the congressional intelligence committees and the Senate and House majority and minority leaders.

In a Statement of Administration Policy, the White House said the provision would "run afoul of tradition" and restrict the executive branch's power.

Congressional Democrats and Republicans contend that limited briefings are inadequate and allowed the former Bush administration to circumvent effective oversight.

Intelligence Committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, said he was not surprised that President Obama would want to limit congressional briefings. "It's like you got 40 bucks in your wallet. I go in there and say, hey, I need $20. You'll say, `Ha, look in your wallet,' " Reyes said in an interview.

Meanwhile, the House Rules Committee late on Wednesday issued a rule for the bill that prevents some of the most controversial amendments from being debated on Thursday.

For example, the rule does not allow an amendment from Intelligence ranking member Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., that would require the CIA to publicly release unclassified versions of congressional briefings on the use of enhanced interrogation techniques.

Hoekstra believes the records will counter claims made by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., about briefings on interrogations. Republicans were also prevented from offering amendments related to relocating detainees kept at the Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, detention center.

Republicans also were denied an amendment that they believe would provide a better process for expanding briefings on CIA operations, and another that would shut down the National Drug Intelligence Center in the district of Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa.

And the Rules Committee denied an amendment from Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif., that would prohibit the use of funds for any covert action intended to undermine or overthrow a government that is a member of the United Nations.

Reyes said he will search for "middle ground" on the issue of congressional briefings with the Obama administration as the authorization bill moves forward, noting that the Senate still has to produce companion legislation and then the two chambers have to conference a final bill.

"The bigger issue is not allowing the administration to close hold information and limit it," Reyes told the Rules Committee. "We simply have to find some middle ground that will address our ability to do oversight ... while at the same time protecting the executive's power."

He added that while the administration wants to limit briefings to a small number of congressional leaders, "a thousand" people or more in the administration would have access to the same information.

The White House said it also strongly objects to a provision in the bill that would prohibit government officials from reading Miranda warnings to terrorist suspects caught abroad. It said the limitation "may take the prosecution option off the table" in fighting suspected terrorists.

And the White House also expressed objections to provisions in the bill that would create an inspector general for the intelligence community and allow GAO to review intelligence matters.