WIS News 10 - Columbia, South Carolina | Former Vice President Mondale criticizes VP Cheney's actions

Former Vice President Mondale criticizes VP Cheney's actions

(Athens, GA-AP) January 19, 2007 - Former Vice President Walter Mondale criticized Vice President Dick Cheney's role in the White House Friday - saying President Jimmy Carter never would have tolerated Cheney's actions.

Mondale says, "I think that Cheney has stepped way over the line."

Mondale - who was vice president under Carter - made the comments at a three-day conference about Carter's presidency being held at the University of Georgia.

Academics credit Carter with expanding the role of the vice presidency during his administration.

Mondale says Cheney and his assistants pressured federal agencies as they prepared information for President Bush. Mondale says, "I think Cheney's been at the center of cooking up farcical estimates of national risks, weapons of mass destruction and the 9/11 connection to Iraq."

Mondale says that does not serve the president because he needs facts.

Mondale says "If I had done as vice president what this vice president has done, Carter would have thrown me out of there. I don't think he could have tolerated a vice president over there pressuring and pushing other agencies, ordering up different reports than they wanted to send us. I don't think he would have stood for it."

Mondale was the first vice president to serve as the president's senior adviser. He held an office in the West Wing of the White House, had private meetings with the president and spoke on behalf of the president before influential groups such as black leaders, Jewish people and labor leaders.

The conference continues through Sunday.

Posted 9:49am by Chantelle Janelle