House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., on Thursday signaled that she is ready to close the book on the flap surrounding her claim that the Central Intelligence Agency misled Congress about waterboarding in the months following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. But Republicans aren’t letting her off that easily.
Pelosi quickly brushed aside attempts by reporters to try to get her to talk about the matter during her weekly press conference, which of late has been packed with media hoping for another show like her May 15 session, when the normally cool Pelosi seemed to get flustered and accused the CIA of lying after being pummeled with questions by reporters about what she knew about waterboarding and when she knew it.
But Pelosi kept her cool this time.
Pelosi cut off a reporter who asked her if she is still receiving briefings from the CIA officials whose veracity she has called into question.
“I’ve said what I’m going to say on that subject,” Pelosi answered brusquely.
When the reporter kept at it, Pelosi acknowledged she is, in fact, still receiving CIA briefings.
“Yes, I am, yes I am,” Pelosi quickly answered before taking a question from another reporter about the war funding bill.
Democrats for the most part have been successful at ending the media frenzy over Pelosi’s comments about the CIA and the matter has largely been buried by other big stories.
But Republicans continue to push the issue in an effort to politically damage the speaker in a rare moment of vulnerability.
House Minority Leader John Boehner, R-Ohio, said he still expects Pelosi to either produce evidence to back up her claim about the CIA lying to her, or apologize to the spy agency.
If she does neither, Boehner said, Republicans will take action.
“Well just trust me, it’s not going to go away,” Boehner said, adding that “all options are on the table.”
But as the minority party, there is little Republicans can do other than continue to publicize the issue, a point made painfully obvious by reporters on Thursday.
“So when are Republicans going to take action, when are you guys going to go to the floor, do a sit-in protest,” asked a reporter at Boehner’s weekly news conference, eliciting snickers from the room.
Boehner wasn’t laughing. He said Pelosi’s comments undermine the work of the CIA.
“But the ball is in the speaker’s court, and it’s high time the American people got an answer,” Boehner said.
