(Washington, D.C.)–Congressman Jim Langevin today called upon National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice to reconsider her decision not to testify publicly before the 9-11 Commission.  As the President's senior advisor on national security and foreign relations, Dr. Rice's testimony is critical in the effort to understand U.S. preparedness before the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. 

 Citing executive privilege, Rice has refused to appear before the commission.  Several other senior officials from the Bush Administration and previous administrations have publicly provided information regarding the worst domestic terrorist attack in American history.

 "Members of the Clinton and Bush Administrations are bound by a moral obligation to the victims and their families to cooperate with this investigation," said Congressman Langevin, a member of the House Select Committee on Homeland Security.  "Dr. Rice's testimony could prove to be invaluable to those working to understand the events leading up to 9-11.  Her failure to testify, under oath, in a public forum is an injustice to the victims' families and only serves to impede this critical investigation."

 In a letter to Dr. Rice, Langevin and several of his colleagues stated:

While the 9-11 Commission was established pursuant to statute, it is an independent body, not a congressional committee.  As such, we do not believe that the doctrine of executive privilege compels your absence.  Particularly in light of your willingness to make yourself available to the press on this issue, your unwillingness to testify before the commission in open session is all the more perplexing.  Even if one assumes that the doctrine of executive privilege extends to appearances before the 9-11 Commission, your decision is an unwise one. 

The families of the victims of September 11 and the American public have spent the last two-and-a-half years asking how the tragedy of 9-11 could have happened.  This week's hearings were an extraordinary occasion for all of us to hear, from the most senior officials of the Clinton and Bush administrations, what we did to stop al Qaeda and what we failed to do.

As the official in the United States Government charged with coordinating the nation's security, your testimony would be invaluable to the commission.  More important, the families of the dead and the entire American public deserve your utmost cooperation.

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