WASHINGTON, Feb. 22 (UPI) -- The White House said U.S. President George Bush didn't know until recently of an administration-approved plan for a Middle East company to manage U.S. ports.
The deal in which the United Arab Emirates-run Dubai Ports would manage six U.S. ports has drawn widespread criticism from Congress and some governors whose states are home to the ports. They question whether the plan is on solid security footing.
White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said Bush did not know of the deal until it was completed, but the administration had put it through a review process and the president also checked with Cabinet members involved about security concerns.
Bush has been defending the deal and is threatening his first veto during his five years as president of any congressional action to delay it.
"The transaction should go forward, in my judgment," Bush said Tuesday. "If there was any chance that this transaction would jeopardize the security of the United States, it would not go forward."
He added that Dubai Ports would not be dealing with port security. Those duties would remain with U.S. Coast Guard and Customs officials.
