WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- WASHINGTON, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- President Bush Tuesday scolded a contrite Congress for leaking sensitive information, but lawmakers said they still need classified briefings.
Bush defended his recent memo limiting some sensitive briefings to just eight members of Congress, while signaling that Congress might get more information if lawmakers clamp down on apparent leaks that could endanger U.S. troops.
"I took it upon myself to notify the leadership of the Congress that I intend to protect our troops. And that's why I sent the letter I sent," Bush said at a White House press conference with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
"I understand there may be some heartburn on Capitol Hill. But I suggest if they want to relieve that heartburn, that they take their positions very seriously and that they take any information they've been given by our government very seriously, because this is serious business we're talking about."
Lawmakers expressed anger and contrition that Congress has been the source of leaks, but said they would press President George Bush to continue classified briefings with lawmakers under some new arrangement to prevent security breaches. The administration must continue to brief lawmakers who have a duty under the Constitution to oversee the executive branch of government, lawmakers from both parties said.
Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., said he was "outraged" by any leaks of classified information, and called for an investigation. "But the Congress has a Constitutional role involving oversight," Daschle said. "And that involves the sharing of information."
The Oct. 5 Bush memo limits administration security briefings about "classified or sensitive law enforcement information" to eight members of Congress -- the leaders of each party in the House and Senate, plus the chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate intelligence committees.
Sen. John McCain said lawmakers would seek a dialogue with the White House to ensure that briefings continue.
"We have to set up a dialogue now between congressional leaders and the administration concerning how information can be disseminated to all members of Congress, since they do have a right to know," McCain said. "But the burden is also on us members of Congress not to disclose classified information."
The chairmen and ranking members of the House and Senate Armed Services Committees, as well as the Foreign Relations Committees all have clearance to receive classified briefings. Those committees have immediate responsibility for overseeing -- and authorizing funds for -- military activities and foreign relations. Leaders of those committees were not included in the eight members Bush said would stay in the loop on sensitive briefings.
Although the Oct. 5 memo refers only to "law enforcement" briefings, members were clearly concerned Tuesday about the scope of the restrictions it placed on their access.
Senate Armed Services Committee Ranking Member Sen. Carl Levin, R-Mich., said a briefing with Pentagon officials set for later this week has been postponed while Congress and the White House interpret the memo.
"We need to have classified briefings," Levin said.
Other White House officials on Tuesday defended the decision to limit the briefings.
"It's an effort to make certain that Congress has the information that it needs while making certain that nobody is put in a position where they inadvertently would give any information that could harm anybody's life as a very sensitive military campaign is underway," said White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer.
Fleischer would not comment on any particular news article that might have precipitated the memo. Republicans in Congress, however, said Bush reacted to an Oct. 5 story in the Washington Post about a security briefing delivered to Congress. According to that story, administration officials reportedly predicted a "100 percent" chance of a future terrorist attack if the U.S. strikes Afghanistan.
Some lawmakers said privately that sensitive news stories that appear to originate in Congress come from the administration instead. The Washington Post story cites "sources familiar with the briefing." Lawmakers also said they would go around Bush's ban, if necessary, by seeking briefings from members in the group of eight briefed by the administration.
