Taylor Stands with Pelosi on CIA Issue

The Mississippi Press - Pelosi briefing secret, says Taylor

U.S. Rep. Gene Taylor, asked Tuesday night during a town hall meeting if he would ask House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to resign if she lied about a CIA briefing, responded, "It is her word against their word."

"If you find out she lied," said Bea Harrison of Vancleave, "would you be willing to ask her to step down?"

"I'm not going to get into 'what ifs' to the fourth degree," Taylor, a Democrat from Bay St. Louis, said during the meeting attended by about 50 people at Gautier City Hall.

Pelosi has said she was misled by the CIA in a secret briefing in 2002 about torture.

"In fairness, when I go into a classified briefing they take my pager," said Taylor. "They take my cell phone. They take all of the paper out of my pockets. I can write notes while in there and they take those notes back before I leave."

"She has no evidence because there is no evidence because everything that was said that day was destroyed that day."

Taylor defended Pelosi when asked what specific policies of the speaker he supported.

"I support her helping us and helping passage of the all-perils bill through the House of Representatives," he said.

Taylor said he disagrees with Pelosi on many issues, but "I appreciate her help on that."

"He is an appeaser," said Harrison, who asked the questions about Pelosi. "He never answers a question directly and will not take a stand when a stand is necessary," she said of Taylor following the meeting.