White House Opposes Release of Roberts Memos

By REUTERS

Filed at 2:24 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Bush administration does not want to release confidential memos that U.S. Supreme Court nominee John Roberts wrote when he worked for two Republican presidents, a White House adviser said on Sunday.

Former Sen. Fred Thompson, named by President Bush to steer Roberts' confirmation through the Senate, disputed calls by some Democrats to turn over all the documents from Roberts' tenure at the White House and Justice Department.

``The administration's been pretty consistent on that, in fact, I think very consistent, in thatwill not be forthcoming,'' Thompson said during an interview on NBC's ``Meet the Press.''

``Conversations he has with his priest, conversations he has with his doctor or his wife or his client are matters that are off limits, basically,'' said Thompson, a Republican who represented Tennessee in the Senate.