White House questions McClellan’s involvement

The White House on Friday questioned whether former Press Secretary Scott McClellan was “in the loop” to make charges that have sparked a new round of questions about President Bush's decision to go to war in Iraq.

{mosads}White House spokeswoman Dana Perino, who was once McClellan's deputy, implied that McClellan would have missed key policy discussions because at the time of the run-up to the war, he had a different “portfolio.”

“It has been my experience as press secretary, you can be as in or out of the loop as you choose to be,” Perino said. She added: “I can walk in and see the president whenever I want.”

Perino, who like other current and former White House aides has described McClellan’s tell-all book as both “hurtful” and “puzzling,” said she doesn't “remember him ever complaining about lack of access.”

The comments continue a heavy GOP push back against McCellan since his book “What Happened” was released this week. Perino said the White House is confused and hurt by the message as much as the messenger.

The White House continued to deny what it sees as the central tenet of McClellan's book, that Bush invaded Iraq on false premises. Perino noted that intelligence at the time was accepted by several countries, and McClellan wrote his book with the benefit of “hindsight.”

“The reason he didn't object at the time was because there was nothing to object to,” she said, adding later, “It's his right to change his mind after the fact.”