Press Gaggle by Trent Duffy (Text Only)

MR. DUFFY: Are you all ready? I'll just go through the schedule. The President had his normal intelligence briefing. Obviously, we're in Bryn Mawr for a fundraiser for Senator Santorum. Senator Specter, obviously, as you saw, was on Air Force One. I believe that Senator Santorum, Senator Specter and Congressman Peterson will be returning with us to D.C. And I think Senator Santorum is going to fly from here to Penn State.

Today is the 36th event, by our count, and 28 different states if you count D.C. And then later tonight, the President is going to be making remarks at the 2005 President's Dinner. And one programming note for planning purposes, we anticipate the Senate to vote on Judge Griffith today, and if they do that we would anticipate issuing a statement later this afternoon -- so just so you know that.

MR. DUFFY: This is not a presidential event, so you'd have to ask the Santorum folks or -- that's an NRCC event tonight, you'd have to ask them.

MR. DUFFY: I don't, off the top of my head. Obviously, there's the Senator Talent event he did and then this one. We can find out; you might check with the RNC, but I'll see if I can find out, Caren.

Q With the Senate taking up energy policy today, what does the President think about the need for MTBE provision in the bill? Does he think that that should be in the bill?

MR. DUFFY: Caren, the President is glad that the Senate is taking up the energy bill today. He believes it's long overdue; we've got to do something about a long-term comprehensive energy policy that brings down gas prices. As you mentioned, the Senate is just taking it up -- we'll see what happens. And, you know, the President just wants to work with the Congress to get an energy bill that does what he's outlined needs to be done: long-term incentives for better efficiency, more technology, as well as increased domestic exploration and lowering our dependence on foreign sources of energy.

Q Trent, when you said earlier that this is not a presidential event, were you responding to my question about whose home we're in?

Q But because it's not a presidential event, does that mean that the RNC pays for all of the costs related to this, or -- in terms of his transportation and --

MR. DUFFY: Typically, on fundraisers what happens is, is that the host, if you will, picks up the political travel and political activity associated with the event, and then official funds are used for other official costs and that sort of thing. It's a similar breakdown that we obviously follow whenever the President travels.

Q Trent, can you talk about the story today saying that the Defense Department was opposed to an independent inquiry into the Uzbekistan --

MR. DUFFY: Sure. The administration has made its view known that it wants the government of Uzbekistan to allow a credible, independent international investigation into the events at Andijon. The administration is speaking with one voice on that, and both the Defense Department as well as the State Department have made those views known to the government of Uzbekistan. So that's what the administration's policy is.

Q So was there some confusion in the Defense Department about what that policy was?

MR. DUFFY: No, the Defense Department, as I said, has issued the same request to the government of Uzbekistan, as has the State Department and other administration officials, that we want a credible, independent investigation into the Andijon events.

Issues

News

News by Date

Appointments

Federal Facts

West Wing