9/11 Relatives Accuse G.O.P. of Blocking Panel Member By RICHARD W. STEVENSON and PHILIP SHENON, NYTimes WASHINGTON, Dec. 5 — Relatives of the Sept. 11 victims said today that their choice as a Republican appointee to the commission investigating the terrorist attacks was being blocked by Republican leaders and the White House, setting up an early showdown over the panel's membership. The family members said they had settled on Warren B. Rudman, the former senator from New Hampshire, as their choice for one of the five Republican slots on the 10-member commission. Last month, President Bush selected Henry A. Kissinger, the former secretary of state, as the commission's chairman. Democrats have named George J. Mitchell, the former senator from Maine and peace envoy to Northern Ireland and the Middle East, as vice chairman. The other four Democrats and four Republicans must be appointed by the leaders of the two parties in Congress by Dec. 15. The families were effectively given a voice in the panel's makeup under a deal that gives veto power over one Republican appointment to two Republican senators close to the families, John McCain of Arizona and Richard C. Shelby of Alabama. Stephen Push, a spokesman for the families, said they believed that Mr. Rudman was the only Republican both highly qualified to participate in the investigation and sufficiently independent of his party's leadership to ensure a thorough and impartial inquiry. "Warren Rudman is the only Republican candidate for this position that all the families trust," he said. Mr. Push said the families had put Mr. Rudman's name forward to Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi, who will be majority leader in the new Congress, through Mr. McCain. But he said Mr. Lott had so far refused to agree to their request. Republican aides on Capitol Hill confirmed his account, saying Mr. McCain was supportive of Mr. Rudman but that there was an impasse with Mr. Lott over his appointment. Ron Bonjean, a spokesman for Mr. Lott, said the senator was "reviewing a list of candidates and will approve who those members will be in the near future." Mr. Push also said the families were concerned that Mr. Rudman's selection was being blocked because of opposition from the White House. Ari Fleischer, the White House spokesman, said the administration, having chosen Mr. Kissinger as chairman, would not have any voice in the remaining selections. The fight over the slot is especially important because it will take six votes on the panel to issue subpoenas, and the family members say they want to make sure one Republican is sufficiently independent of the White House to join the five Democrats in any close vote. Family members said they intended to keep pressing Mr. Lott to appoint Mr. Rudman, who previously co-authored a report, with former Senator Gary Hart, Democrat of Colorado, on the nation's vulnerability to terrorism. They said they would not back down, even if it meant having the commission start its work with only nine members. Mr. Kissinger and the other panel members also faced new pressure today to publicly identify their business clients for potential conflicts of interest, as many of the relatives of Sept. 11 victims have demanded. The families have said that Mr. Kissinger in particular may face a conflict because of his consulting work for prominent corporate and business clients, including several large multinational companies with Arab interests. Congressional officials said a new report by the Congressional Research Service found that Mr. Kissinger and other committee members would be required to publicly identify any client who had paid them more than $5,000 for consulting work over the last two years. White House officials said they stood by their previous position that Mr. Kissinger was not required to disclose his client list because the position is part time and unpaid. The report, which had been requested by the Democratic leadership of the Senate Governmental Affairs Committee, has not been made public. But Congressional officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, outlined its findings, which were first reported today by The Financial Times. The officials said the report found that government regulations required Mr. Kissinger and the others to make full public financial disclosures, including identifying their clients. Mr. Kissinger's office in New York did not return calls today. In a television interview last weekend, he said that he would sever ties with any of his global clients if they presented conflicts. But he said he would not reveal his client list publicly.
