to him in an effort to learn who had leaked the classified memo and to whom, but that he had not been asked to appear before the grand jury investigating the case. Many assumed the White House had leaked the memo to him. Gannon said he had learned about its existence after it had been mentioned in a story published in the Wall Street Journal. Previously, Gannon had been criticized by Tom Daschle's supporters when he covered the South Dakota Senate race between Daschle and John Thune. Supporters of Daschle claimed he acted as a de facto member of the Thune campaign while ostensibly a journalist. Washington Blade In July 2005, Gannon began writing for the DC-area gay publication Washington Blade. His articles included criticism of gay blogger John Aravosis, who had accused him of having pornographic ads. Blade editor Chris Crain attracted his own criticism from many in the gay community for this decision, due to Gannon's criticism of the gay rights movement as well as his refusal to disclose his sexual orientation. He has said, "My personal life is a private matter, despite the fact that I have become a public person." Crain defended his decision in a September 2005 editorial, writing that the "steady stream of feedback/vitriol" had declined "a little" with each new Gannon article. Crain resigned as editor in 2006, retaining ownership in the paper's parent company. The new editorial team fired Gannon as a result of what editor Kevin Naff called Gannon's "huge credibility problem." House Judiciary Committee The House Judiciary Committee voted against House resolution 136, on March 16, 2005, that would have directed the Attorney General and the Secretary of Homeland Security to transmit documents in the possession of officials to the House of Representatives. These documents related to the security investigations and background checks involved in granting Gannon access to the White House. The documents were to be transmitted no later than 14 days after the date of the adoption of the resolution. During the Committee meeting, Democratic Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee claimed that Gannon had engaged in "a penetration of the White House, maybe a security breach, and I do not believe it can be answered with self-investigation. Chairman Jim Sensenbrenner said that a letter from the Secret Service dated March 7, 2005, stated, "Please be advised that our Office of Protective Operations has looked into this matter and has