WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Putting pressure on the White House, an influential Republican senator has joined Democrats in pushing for the release of a 28-page section of the congressional report on the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks allegedly dealing with Saudi Arabia's ties to the hijackers.
Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kansas, and Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-New York, are gathering signatures on a letter to the president calling for the release of the section, which was almost entirely censored by the administration, citing national security reasons.
The two senators expect to gather the signatures of at least 51 senators, which, if it came to a vote, would be enough to force the release of the material even over White House objections.
At least two other Republican senators -- Olympia Snowe of Maine and Richard Shelby of Alabama, have called for the declassification of the material, part of a critical report released last week looking at U.S. antiterrorism intelligence.
But President Bush told reporters Wednesday the material should not be released because it would jeopardize the ability of the administration to gather intelligence on suspected terrorists.
"My point of view -- since I am in charge of fighting the war on terror --is that we won't reveal sources and methods that will compromise our efforts to succeed," he said during a Rose Garden news conference.
...
