Cheney Controversy Persists

Feb. 15, 2006 — -- Questions about why Vice President Dick Cheney did not tell the public that he had accidentally shot Texas lawyer Harry Whittington during a quail hunting outing in Texas on Saturday continue to persist. Now the White House is under fire for not releasing information on the Cheney shooting quickly enough.

Sources told ABC News that the vice president's team had debated issuing a statement early Sunday morning per the White House's request. But sources said Cheney's team decided it would be more credible to allow ranch owner and witness Katharine Armstrong to make the information public.

Armstrong is the daughter of a former Halliburton official who hired Cheney as CEO.

Whittington, 78, suffered a mild heart attack Tuesday after a birdshot in his chest traveled to his heart, Christus Spohn Hospital CorpusChristi-Memorial officials said. He is still in the hospital's intensive care unit. A hospital spokesman said that was "strictly due to personal privacy issues," and that he was sitting up, eating regular food, and planning on doing some of his legal work today.

Experts say the incident shows how powerful and independent the vice president is. He handled the shooting the way he saw fit -- and his decision continues to feed the ever-growing political fire.

"The refusal of this administration to level with the American people on matters large and small is very disturbing," said Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y.

Clinton and other top Democrats say that this is indicative of the Bush administration's tendency to not level with the American people. For them, the shooting has become a metaphor for larger problems within the administration.

So far, Cheney's office has only issued statements, but White House spokesman Scott McClellan said today that Cheney would give an interview with the Fox News Channel to be taped at 2 p.m. and broadcast at 6 p.m.

Even Republicans have been heard grumbling about how the White House has handled the shooting. Two prominent former press secretaries offered harsh criticism to Editor & Publisher.