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Whitehouse says congress informed Original Source Link: (May no longer be active)    http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=664&u=/ap/20020305/ap_to_po/bush_congress_5 http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=664&u=/ap/20020305/ap_to_po/bush_congress_5 White House says Congress informed of shadow government plans Tue Mar 5,11:19 AM ET By RON FOURNIER, AP White House Correspondent WASHINGTON - President Bush (news - web sites)'s spokesman disputed complaints from lawmakers who said they were not informed that the administration had established a "shadow government" outside Washington in case nuclear-armed terrorists strike the nation's capital. "In order to have continuity of government ... the Hill must be involved," White House press secretary Ari Fleischer (news - web sites) said Tuesday. He did not reveal what lawmakers or legislative aides were advised of the plans, which include housing 75 to 150 senior administration officials in secure underground facilities. The officials rotate in and out of the secret sites, spending days at a time away from friends and family, to ensure that top government officials survive an attack on Washington. The procedures, a response to the Sept. 11 attacks, marks the first time that the Cold War-era continuity of government plan has been implemented. Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, a Democrat, said Sunday he wants Bush to keep congressional leaders better informed about the war on terrorism and the shadow government. He said no lawmakers knew about the continuity of government plan. Fleischer said "the appropriate people" on Capitol Hill knew of the plan. "I cannot speak to how Congress fully informs itself. I'm confident and the president is confident that when people pause and talk to each other on the Hill" they will discover who was told of the administration's plan. He said the information was tightly held because secrecy is key to ensuring the continuity of government in the event of a disaster. Asked if Daschle was not informed because he is not in the line to succeed the president, Fleischer replied, "There is a line of succession." House Speaker Dennis Hastert, next in line after Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) to succeed Bush, was given a full briefing on the contingency plans, said Hastert spokesman John Feehery. That briefing came before the plans were revealed last week by The Washington Post, and the speaker knew of the existence of a "national emergency team" of federal officials outside Washington, said a House Republican leadership aide who spoke on condition of anonymity. A spokesman for Sen. Robert Byrd (news), D-W.Va., who as Senate president pro tempore follows Hastert in the line of succession, knew nothing about the plans, said Byrd spokesman Tom Gavin. "Senator Byrd has not been briefed and neither has his staff," Gavin said. Daschle's remarks were part of a broader complaint about the administration's efforts to keep Congress informed about the war's developments, including plans to expand beyond Afghanistan (news - web sites).

100 officials work secret { March 1 2002 } Bush wants contingency plan if govt nuked { May 10 2007 } Congress not advised { March 2 2002 } Speedy elections if attacked Sucessors plan skirted law 1991 nytimes { November 18 1991 } Whitehouse says congress informed Files Listed: 6

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