Washington — U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice will be allowed to testify in public under oath before the commission investigating the failure to prevent the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, an administration official said Tuesday.
The official said the decision is conditioned on the administration of U.S. President George W. Bush receiving assurances in writing from the commission that such a step does not set a precedent, the official said. It appeared that the administration already had such assurances orally in private and is confident it will get them in writing.
White House legal counsel Alberto Gonzales has sent a letter to the commission stating that Ms. Rice is prepared to testify publicly as long as the administration receives assurances from the panel that this is not precedent-setting, the official said.
Congressional leaders, the official added, have already stated that this would not be a new precedent.
Ms. Rice had appeared before the panel in private, but the White House had refused to make her available to testify in public.
“Nothing would be better, from my point of view, than to be able to testify” to the commission, she said in a 60 Minutes interview broadcast on Sunday.
She added, however, that “there is an important principle involved here: It is a long-standing principle that sitting national security advisers do not testify before the Congress.”
