NBC Balks at Sharing Election Night Tapes Politics: Congressman threatens to seek subpoena for disclosure. Rumors say executive pushed for Bush call. By MEGAN GARVEY, Times Staff Writer WASHINGTON -- A showdown between a Democratic congressman and the head of NBC over what exactly happened in the network's newsroom on election night is reviving questions about whether Congress should have any role in overseeing the news media. What began as a friendly offer by NBC President Andrew Lack at a Valentine's Day congressional hearing quickly degenerated into an exchange of angry letters between Lack and Rep. Henry A. Waxman (D-Los Angeles) over access to internal videotapes of NBC's newsroom on election night. While some observers said they doubted Waxman, who has threatened to seek a subpoena if the tapes aren't turned over by Labor Day, could force NBC to turn over any tapes, they said the dispute highlighted the pitfalls for executives from 1st Amendment-protected industries who voluntarily appear in front of Congress. At issue in Lack's case is sworn testimony at the February hearing into botched election night news coverage. In his testimony, Lack offered to turn over a copy of tapes--if they existed--that showed the newsroom actions of his corporate boss, General Electric Chairman Jack Welch. <snip> http://latimes.com/news/printedition/front/la-080801nbc.story?coll=la%2Dhome...