The President Draws the Line on the Armstrong Williams Scandal

President Bush has directly criticized his own Education Department for the Armstrong Williams scandal.

"I expect my Cabinet secretaries to make sure that that practice doesn't go forward. There needs to be independence," the President told reporters during a rare news conference.

Williams took $240,000 from the government to promote the "No Child Left Behind" law in his newspaper columns, and on radio and TV shows. He never disclosed the connection until USA Today broke the story.

The President says his agenda should stand on its own two feet, without secretly placing commentators on the government payroll. (ABC)