White House Knew of Levee's Failure on Night of Storm...

Marty Bahamonde/FEMA (click on photo to enlarge).

A photo taken by a federal emergency official the day Hurricane Katrina arrived showed the broken 17th Street Canal levee in New Orleans.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Bush administration officials said they had been caught by surprise when they were told on Tuesday, Aug. 30, that a levee had broken, allowing floodwaters to engulf New Orleans.

Investigators have found evidence that federal officials at the White House and elsewhere learned of the levee break in New Orleans earlier than was first suggested.

But Congressional investigators have now learned that an eyewitness account of the flooding from a federal emergency official reached the Homeland Security Department's headquarters starting at 9:27 p.m. the day before, and the White House itself at midnight.

Read the full story in today's New York Times. Makes me sick to know about all the lies...given the terrible consequences.

Expect to see "Brownie" questioned on this issue at a Congressional hearing today.