Report: White House censored scientists

WASHINGTON, Dec. 10 (UPI) -- A U.S. House committee report released Monday suggests the Bush administration has censored government scientists on the topic of global warming.

The report drafted by Democratic staff for the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee accuses the White House of limiting the media's access to government scientists and of editing congressional testimony, The Hill reported Monday.

"The evidence before the committee leads to one inescapable conclusion: The Bush administration has engaged in a systematic effort to manipulate climate change science and mislead policymakers and the public about the dangers of global warming," the report said.

Republicans on the panel on the committee called the report a political document rather than the fact-finding study it was intended to be, the newspaper reported.

"The majority report is filled with evidence of deep animus toward the Bush administration, animus that ultimately and unfortunately colors the conclusions," the Republican response says.

"From the disregard of available evidence to the failure to investigate those matters that already fit neatly into the majority's views, the report is biased and incomplete," it says.