Normally genial, Johnson said she was «damn mad» that Rangel's
office had contacted her supporters, and said she knew of other potential supporters who were reluctant to go
public for fear of reprisals from Rangel.
At a
public hearing in Santa Fe on June 7, the head of NNSA's oversight
office at Los Alamos said that federal permission in particular has not been granted
for renewed work with plutonium liquids, which is needed to purify plutonium taken from older warheads
for reuse,
normally a routine practice.