Friday 27 April 2007

San Francisco - A congressional committee on Friday requested
documents from the White House and Pentagon describing how and when the
Bush administration learned the circumstances of Pat Tillman's death.

The House Oversight Committee is investigating why Tillman's family
and the public were misled about the circumstances of his death.

Tillman, a San Jose native, turned down a lucrative new contract
with the NFL's Arizona Cardinals to join the Army following the Sept. 11
attacks. He was killed April 22, 2004, by friendly fire in Afghanistan.

Although Pentagon investigators determined quickly that he was
killed by his own troops, five weeks passed before the circumstances of
his death were made public. During that time, the Army claimed he was
killed by enemy fire.

Committee Chairman Henry Waxman wrote Friday to White House Counsel
Fred Fielding requesting "all documents received or generated by any
official in the Executive Office of the President" that relate to
Tillman.

A second letter was sent to Secretary of Defense Robert Gates. Gates
was asked to produce all documents related to Tillman generated by his
office and the Pentagon's office of public affairs, as well as the
office of Gen. John Abizaid.

The committee gave the administration until May 18 to produce the
documents.

The committee held its first hearing on Tillman's death earlier this
week. Tillman's family has said they believe the erroneous information
peddled by the Pentagon was part of a deliberate cover-up that may have
reached all the way to President Bush and then-Secretary of Defense
Donald Rumsfeld.

A White House spokeswoman said this week that Bush did not learn
about the unusual circumstances of the Army Ranger's death until after
the soldier's memorial service on May 3, 2004.

Another spokeswoman, Jeanie Mamo, said Friday evening: "We've
received the committee's letter and we will review the request."

On April 29 of that year, a top general sent a memo to Abizaid, who
then headed all U.S. military operations in the Middle East and Central
Asia. The memo warned that it was "highly possible" that Tillman was
killed by friendly fire and made clear that the information should be
conveyed to the president. The White House said there is no indication
that Bush received the warning.

Two days later, the president mentioned Tillman in a speech to the
White House correspondents dinner, but he made no reference to how he
died.