"It could have been a Congressional request for the information," he said.

The new department was charged with responding to congressional requests for information.

"Often Congressional requests to travel exceed our capacity to support."

But they may not deny legitimate Congressional requests for truthful information.

And they have failed to satisfy a Congressional request for a full report on civil rights enforcement by Federal agencies.

GAO analyzes a wide range of government programs and policy issues in response to congressional requests.

In many cases, the attractions are unable to fulfill Congressional requests, even when they are made with considerable lead time.

In the past, Presidents have sometimes rejected Congressional requests for such testimony on the ground of executive privilege.

GAO will strive to respond to all congressional requests for testimony.

But perceived unseemliness is not a sufficient justification to refuse to comply with a congressional request.