WASHINGTON, July 16 (Xinhua) -- Defying a veto threat from the White House, the U.S. House of the Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill that allows congressional access to the plans of all covert operations and bars CIA contractors from interrogation.

    The intelligence authorization legislation, passed on a voice vote, requires the White House to brief Congress on all covert operations before most intelligence funding would be released.

    The bill also bars CIA contractors from interrogating suspected terrorists.

    U.S. President George W. Bush threatened a veto, saying the bill violates executive privilege and a president's right to keep classified information secret.

    The Senate will consider a similar measure, which also would face a likely presidential veto.

    Although exact funding levels are classified, aides and lawmakers said the bill would authorize more funding for the base intelligence budget than ever before.

Bush bars release of Cheney's interview with investigators 

    WASHINGTON, July 16 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President George W. Bush on Wednesday blocked the release of Vice President Dick Cheney's interview with investigators probing the leak of a CIA agent's identity.

    He invoked executive privilege to keep that document secret, White House spokesman Tony Fratto said. Full story

McClellan to testify in CIA leak case

    WASHINGTON, June 9 (Xinhua) -- Former White House spokesman Scott McClellan is set to appear at a House hearing to testify on Vice President Dick Cheney's role in the leaking of CIA agent's identity, according to a newspaper report released on Monday.

  Citing McClellan's lawyers, the Washington Post online report said that the former White House spokesman has accepted the invitation from the House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyer to testify on June 20. Full story