Amid a bitter skirmish between the White House and Dems yesterday over whether General Petraeus will testify publicly to Congress about Iraq, the Bush administration repeatedly claimed yesterday that the administration had never pushed for closed-door-only briefings for Petraeus.

But that claim is false, according to an on-the-record statement we've obtained from the office of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

Rather, the Bush administration did in fact push for limited private briefings for Petraus and U.S. ambassador Ryan Crocker, and even did so as far back as early July, according to the statement, which was provided to Election Central by Lynne Weille, the communications director for Foreign Affairs Committee chair Tom Lantos.

"Administration officials told senior Congressional staff in early July that they preferred to have Ambassador Crocker and General Petraeus testify in closed session before the entire House of Representatives, rather than in open hearings," Weille said in the statement, which constitutes the first on-the-record assertion by Dems that this happened.

The statement is striking, because any White House bid to limit the briefing suggests that the administration may have wanted to prevent the public from hearing Petraeus' views of Iraq straight from him directly. Petraeus will also share his views via input he'll give on a written report, but that will be written by the White House.

What's more, the statement appears to directly contradict assertions made yesterday by administration spokesperson Gordon Johndroe. Asked yesterday if the White House had pushed for closed-door-only briefings, Johndroe said, "No, no."

The statement also suggests that the White House may have been trying to circumvent a key legal requirement that was written into the Iraq supplemental bill passed this spring with White House support -- i.e., that Petraeus and Crocker testify publicly.

The question of whether the administration wanted Petraeus to testify only privately emerged as a political flashpoint because Petraeus' testimony on Iraq this September will be central to the political showdown shaping up for this fall between the White House and Congressional Dems over Iraq.

At yesterday's White House press briefing, adminstration spokesperson Gordon Johndroe was quizzed about a report yesterday in The Washington Post citing anonymous Congressional officials asserting that the administration had asked for the closed-door briefing. In response, Johndroe claimed that the adminstration had always intended for Petraeus' testimony to be public. He was asked this question: "So the White House didn't, then, ask Congress, or suggest that he do limited testimony?" His reply: "No, no."

"I just don't think it's correct," Johndroe said of the WaPo report.

The White House spokesman added that it "has always been our intention" that Petraeus and Crocker testify openly. And he went on to accuse Dems who were critical yesterday of the move towards closed-door briefings as "trying to start a fight where there really isn't one, because [testifying openly] has always been the plan."

But this version of events is now being directly contradicted, on the record, by House Foreign Affairs Committee spokesperson Lynne Weille, who is confirming the WaPo version of events. Here's her full statement:

Administration officials told senior Congressional staff in early July that they preferred to have Ambassador Crocker and General Petraeus testify in closed session before the entire House of Representatives, rather than in open hearings. Chairman Lantos objected to this proposal in discussion with the appropriate Administration officials more than once. The Committee has requested that Ambassador Crocker and General Petraeus testify in an open hearing before the report is delivered. We have just reiterated that request, and have not yet received an answer. The Committee has also requested testimony from Secretary Rice at a hearing tentatively scheduled for after the report's delivery.

According to this statement, then, adminstration officials did in fact say in July that they "preferred to have Ambassador Crocker and General Petraeus testify in closed session before the entire House of Representatives, rather than in open hearings." And this was discussed "more than once."

Weille’s statement is further bolstered by a report in Congressional Quarterly from last night saying that two key Senators in on the negotiations were surprised by the White House's denials and hadn't heard that the administration had agreed to open testimony.

Johndroe didn't immediately return a call for comment.