U.S.: Assad bid for more inspections ploy; lawmakers to be briefed WASHINGTON, Aug. 29 (UPI) -- The Obama administration termed Syria's call for extended nerve-gas inspections a delaying ploy and said more U.N. talk about a military strike was pointless. At the same time, White House, Defense Department and State Department officials planned a classified bipartisan briefing with congressional leaders and key members of the House and Senate armed services, foreign affairs, intelligence and other national-security committees Thursday, White House and congressional officials said. That 6 p.m. phone briefing followed White House receipt of a letter from House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, demanding a clear explanation of any military action against Syria before it starts. He also criticized Obama's level of consultation with lawmakers. The letter can be found at tinyurl.com/UPI-Boehner-letter. Separately, 116 House lawmakers -- 98 Republicans and 18 Democrats -- signed a letter demanding Obama seek congressional authorization before a military strike. Along with the congressional briefing, the administration planned as early as Thursday to make non-classified evidence public showing the Assad regime had "undeniable" responsibility for the Aug. 21 gas attack outside Damascus, administration officials said. U.S. officials told The New York Times they had no "smoking gun" directly linking President Bashar Assad to the attack. They sought to lower expectations about the public intelligence presentation, saying it wouldn't contain intercepted communications or reports from spies and sources in Syria. Obama told the "PBS NewsHour" Wednesday he hadn't decided to order a military attack, but said if he does, it would be limited. "I have no interest in any kind of open-ended conflict in Syria," Obama said, but "there need to be international consequences" for the chemical strikes residents and activists in Syria's agricultural Ghouta region east of Damascus say killed more than 1,000 people. A closed-door meeting of the five permanent U.N. Security Council members Wednesday ended without considering a British resolution allowing the use of force to prevent further chemical-weapons use in Syria because Russia opposed the measure. Russia said the measure was premature and the council should wait until U.N. chemical-weapons inspectors deliver their final report, diplomatic officials and Russia's Interfax news agency said. The State Department responded saying protracted Security Council discussions were immaterial to Obama's decision. "We see no avenue forward [at the United Nations], given continued Russian opposition to any meaningful council action on Syria," department spokeswoman Marie Harf told reporters. "Therefore, the United States will continue its consultations and will take appropriate actions to respond in the days ahead," she said. U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Lakhdar Brahimi said international law required a Security Council decision before any military action. Syria and Iran warned of regional chaos if the United States strikes Syria, and threatened to retaliate against Israel. At the same time, Syria wrote to U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon asking for the U.N. weapons team not leave Syria Saturday as expected but stay longer to investigate alleged rebel use of chemical weapons in three attacks on regime forces this month. Ban had no immediate response. Harf responded scornfully. "This call would have credibility if, on day one or two or three or four or five, the Syrian regime had stopped shelling the area that they attacked to systematically destroy evidence to cover up what they had done and actually allowed U.N. investigators in," she said. "I don't want to venture to guess why they're doing what they're doing," Harf said, "but I think it's clear that we will not allow them to hide behind a UN investigation into the use of chemical weapons to prevent any response from the United States."