Congressman Leonard Boswell says it’s "silly" for Vice President Cheney to claim he’s not part of the executive branch. "I think this is a little bit absurd," Boswell says. Cheney made the argument after refusing to submit reports on how classified materials are handled in his office. Cheney says the vice president is also President of the United States Senate, so he’s part of the legislative branch of government which is not required to make such reports.
"I think it is, I don’t know, silly you might say in saying he’s not part of the executive branch," Boswell says. "Come on. I’ve been to his office. It’s in the White House." Tomorrow (Thursday) the Democratic-led U.S. House will vote on an amendment which would cut off executive branch funding for Cheney’s office. Boswell, a Democrat from Des Moines, says he’s unsure how he’ll vote.
"We’ll see how it turns out. I think it’s pretty clear to me that (Cheney) is part of the executive (branch)," Boswell says. "I don’t know why we’re really into this question." Leading Democrats in the U.S. House say if Cheney wants to claim he’s part of the legislative branch rather than the executive branch, then Cheney can operate his office solely on the money provided for President of the Senate functions.