Wednesday October 10 1:33 PM ET

Bush, Congress Declare Cease-Fire on Leaks

By Steve Holland

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush and congressional leaders declared a cease-fire on Wednesday over leaks of top-secret information with Bush allowing key committees to continue receiving classified material.

Bush launched into an angry tirade on Tuesday, fuming that sensitive information provided to members of Congress had leaked out, which he said could put at risk the lives of U.S. troops involved in the response to the Sept. 11 attacks.

Aides said he was particularly incensed by leaks to The Washington Post last week of a CIA briefing to the Senate Intelligence Committee.

The Post reported that intelligence officials told the committee there was a 100 percent likelihood of more attacks on American soil. The Post did not report, however, other classified material it had received after entreaties not to do so by a senior administration official who argued it could endanger national security.

In response, Bush issued an Oct. 5 memo saying only eight leaders of Congress would receive briefings on top-secret information -- the top Republicans and Democrats in the House of Representatives and the Senate and of the House and Senate intelligence committees.

That left out the House and Senate foreign relations and armed services committees, prompting strong objections from members who said Bush was abusing their traditional oversight role.

During a breakfast meeting with the top Republicans and Democrats in the House and Senate, Bush agreed to let Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld continue to brief the armed services committees and Secretary of State Colin Powell to brief the foreign relations committees.

``He reiterated directly to the members his concern about classified information remaining classified, and the members told him they agreed with that concern,'' said White House spokesman Ari Fleischer.

He said the administration would hold back information on details of military operations and ``information that does not need to be known.''

``Operational secrecy will be maintained. And information that needs to be known will be known, on a need to know basis,'' Fleischer said.

Congressional leaders emerged from the White House to say they were satisfied with the arrangement.

Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle of South Dakota said leaks can cause serious damage and violate the trust between the Congress and White House.

``We need to restore that trust and we're all determined to do that,'' he said.

Senate Republican leader Trent Lott of Mississippi said Bush had made his point.

``I don't know all the details about what may or may not have gotten out, but we've all agreed the point has been made and we're moving on and we'll get what we need and he'll be able to do what he needs to do,'' he said.

-- Anonymous, October 10, 2001