McClellan Details Bush Administration Credibility Gap

In testimony on Capitol Hill, former White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan basically painted a portrait of an administration that created its own credibility gap — and a White House response to his testimony further underscored why the gap continues to exist.

Former presidential spokesman Scott McClellan on Friday said President Bush has lost the public’s trust by failing to be open about his administration’s mistakes and backtracking on a promise to tell all about the leak of CIA operative Valerie Plame’s identity.

“This White House promised or assured the American people that at some point when this was behind us they would talk publicly about it. And they have refused to,” McClellan told the House Judiciary Committee. “And that’s why I think more than any other reason we are here today and the suspicion still remains.”

The former White House press secretary suggested that Bush could do much to redeem his credibility on the Plame matter and his reasons for going to war in Iraq if he would embrace “openness and candor and then constantly strive to build trust across the aisle.”

That’s as likely right now as General Motors announcing that it has decided to quadruple its production of SUVs. The administration’s modus operandi — which is creating problems for GOP presumptive Presidential nominee as Democrats try mightily to tether him to the most unpopular President in recent American history — is now clear and documented.

The problem was underscored by the administration’s response to McClellan: not addressing the issues and in attack mode:

The White House was dismissive of the event and McClellan himself.

“I think Scott has probably told everyone everything he doesn’t know, so I don’t know if anyone should expect him to say anything new today,” said White House spokesman Tony Fratto.

But all wasn’t dismal for the White House. McClellan testified that Bush didn’t know about the CIA leak.

U.S. President George W. Bush did not know about a White House effort to leak the identity of a CIA agent but tried to protect staffers who were involved in one of the biggest scandals of his administration, former Bush spokesman Scott McClellan told Congress on Friday.

McClellan said he did not think Bush was involved in a 2003 effort to blow the cover of CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson, whose husband had accused the administration of twisting intelligence to justify the Iraq war.

But Bush, through his chief of staff, ordered McClellan to tell reporters that White House staffers Karl Rove and Lewis “Scooter” Libby were not behind the leak, even though they both turned out to be involved, McClellan told the House Judiciary Committee.

Vice President Dick Cheney’s involvement in the leak might have been greater, McClellan said.

What’s the upshot of the testimony? (1) He further documented in general terms why the administration has a credibility gap. (2) His sworn testimony paints a picture of an administration that wasn’t honest with the American public because of backtracking at a time when original statements aren’t forgotten due to the Internet, YouTubes, and a non-ending news cycle. (3) The White House response that didn’t address issues raised by McClellan directly but just went after him personally underscored why there is a credibility gap for an administration that believes attack mode rather than explanation mode is the solution for controversies.