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About counterterrorism issues in the past. whether he has talked too openly to the press and to former counterterrorism officials who talked to the press about things going on in the counterterrorism world. >> do you think there's any situation where it's legal to disclose to the media or the public these tales of covert action programs? >> i do not think it is ever appropriate to improperly disclose classified information to anybody who does not have legitimate access to it and has the clearances for it. >> would you provide for the committee any times that you were given the authority to rel...

Public details of covert action programs. >> i don't think that it's ever appropriate to disclose classified information to anybody who doesn't have legitimate access to it and the clearance for it. >> let me clarify. i didn't ask for classified information, i specificallily said covert action programs. >> by definition, those are classified programs. and not release any details to covert action programs. >> let me poit out that in the committee hearings, you didn't really answer a question that dealt with specific instances, in where you were authorized to disclose classified information to a...

Were systemic failures, where there was mismanagement or inaccurate information put forward? there are cohert action activities taking place today under the direction of management of the cia. and i would have the obligation to make sure to say to the committee covert action programs are being run effectively, well managed, overseen and the measures of e effect giveness, the results of those programs are an accurate and fair representation of what actually is happening. this report raises serious questions of whether or not there's serious systemic issues at play here. i would need to get my a...

Cases flattery refused to provide documents to this committee. if confirmed, will you assure this committee that this refusal will never happen again? >> i can commit to you, senator, that i would do everything in my ability and my authority to be able to reach an accommodation with this committee that requests documents because an impasse between the executive branch and the legislative branch of issues of such importance is not in the interests of the united states government and so it would be my objective to see if we could meet those interests. at the same time, the founding fathers did s...

Action programs? >> i do not think it is ever appropriate to improperly disclose classified information to anybody who does not have legitimate access to it and has the clearances for it. >> let me clarify. i didn't ask for classified information. >> right. >> i specifically said covert action programs. >> by definition, covert action programs are classified. >> i realize that. >> right. so i do not believe it is appropriate to improperly disclose those details related to covert action programs. >> let me point out that in the committee prehearing questions you didn't really answer a question ...