Aboard Air Force One
En route Richmond, Virginia
10:13 A.M. EST
MS. PERINO: Good morning. We're on our way to Richmond, Virginia. The President has a full slate of activities in that region. I'm going to do two announcements and then I'll do the schedule and go to questions.
Regarding the cyclone in Bangladesh, the President and Mrs. Bush on Saturday night expressed their deepest sympathy and of course that continues as the death toll apparently continues to rise. We are concerned about the individuals in Bangladesh who were affected by the cyclone. In response to a request for international help, the United States is providing $2.1 million in emergency funds to help the relief efforts.
Q Two point one million dollars?
MS. PERINO: Two point one million dollars.
Q This is from Saturday night's statement?
MS. PERINO: This is from Saturday night; I'm just reiterating that we continue to monitor -- we have helicopters that are taking in some food aid. USAID, as well as the Defense Department, have assets that are being deployed in order to help with the recovery.
In addition, this morning you saw a statement by the President issued in regards to a departure of a senior staff member at the White House. Frances Fragos Townsend has been the Assistant to the President for Counterterrorism and his Homeland Security Advisor for three-and-a-half years, having worked for a year before that as a Deputy Assistant to the President. She was promoted to the position that she now holds three-and-a-half years ago based on her tremendous intellect, her commitment to helping protect the country, her experience in counterterrorism and law. Her diplomatic efforts on behalf of the President have been greatly appreciated. She has traveled the world and spent a lot of time in the Middle East. And she has been a key member of the team that has put together the tools that this President is using to keep the country safe from terror.
She plans to leave government service after over two decades as a public servant. She will pursue some private-sector opportunities. She does intend to remain very active in the public debate about counterterrorism, and especially the tools that she believes policymakers and the intelligence community and the Justice Department officials and others across the government need in order to beat back the very determined enemy that we face. And I'll refer you to the President's statement for more.
He had his normal briefings at 8:00 a.m. this morning. In addition to that, a little after 7:00 a.m. this morning, Deputy Secretary John Negroponte came to the White House to brief the President on his trip over the weekend, and his meetings with President Musharraf.
At 11:00 a.m. the President will visit the Central Virginia Foodbank. I'm going to let -- since we have a short gaggle here, I'm going to let Carlton provide you more details, but let me just give you a quick stat. The Central Virginia Foodbank serves 31 countries [sic] and five cities, and approximately half of those agencies are located in the Richmond metro area.
Q Thirty-one counties?
MS. PERINO: Counties. Did I say "countries"? Thirty-one counties and five cities.
There will be several members of Congress with us today. Congressman Eric Cantor, Congressman Randy Forbes, and Congressman Bobby Scott. Also, Fay Lohr, L-o-h-r, she's the CEO of the Foodbank -- will be there. She will lead the President's visit. Lieutenant Governor Bill Bolling, and then two other -- I'm sorry, one other Virginia Attorney General Bob McDonnell, and then Virginia Foodbank volunteers will be there. More on the press gaggle.
1 comment:
I look forward to Dana's book on how she was giving false information at the direction of the White House. At lease Dana will be able to move to England and not have the Government on her back like Scott. It's sad when you can't remember country from county as a spoke person. But the lies just keep on coming.
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