US Vice President Dick Cheney is to break his silence on the shooting of a Texas lawyer in a hunting accident, in a television interview later today.
Mr Cheney will appear in an interview with Fox News which will be broadcast about 11pm tonight Irish time.
White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said it would be an opportunity for the vice president to talk about his concern for his friend.
Democrats had demanded that the Mr Cheney make a full public statement on the accident.
Doctors treating 78-year-old Harry Whittington, who sustained neck, chest, and facial injuries after being hit by up to 200 shotgun pellets, disclosed yesterday that he had suffered a minor heart attack.
Democrats say Mr Cheney’s failure to disclose the incident for nearly 24 hours is in keeping with what they call 'a pattern of secrecy' practiced by the Bush administration as a whole.
At a news conference yesterday, Mr McClellan declined to be drawn by questions about the nearly 21-hour gap between the incident and when it was made public, or why the news came from the ranch owner rather than official channels.
A number of Republicans have also been urging Mr Cheney to come forward.
Mr Cheney's office issued a statement yesterday saying the vice president had spoken with Mr Whittington by telephone and wished him well.
