On Friday the Environmental Protection Agency’s Inspector General released a report that found the White House forced the EPA to mislead residents of New York about the safety of the air quality following the collapse of the World Trade Center towers.

The headline in Saturday’s Newsday read: “White House Mislead New York.”

The study found that the White House pressured the EPA to delete information from press releases that might have delayed the reopening of downtown New York including Wall Street. Among other things the White House censored reports that high levels of asbestos had been found.

The report was quietly released on Friday afternoon during a period in August when many reporters are on vacation.

Rep. Jerry Nadler, a Manhattan Democrat, called for a Justice Department investigation. He said it is an abomination that ” the White House instructed EPA officials to downplay the health impact of the World Trade Center contaminants due to 'competing considerations' at the expense of the health and lives of New York City residents.”

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg however defended the White House.

Bloomberg told Newsday that President Bush shouldn’t be blamed.

Bloomberg said, “I know the president and I think he’s a very honest guy. It would never occur to me not to trust him.”