Former White House press secretary Scott McClellan continued to press his case Thursday that the Bush administration manipulated intelligence to justify the war in Iraq, and responded to a growing chorus of criticism from other former administration officials.

Appearing on NBC’s Today show, Mr. McClellan said that the administration ignored evidence that contradicted its position on Iraq, and he sharply criticized some of Mr. Bush’s closest advisers.

He said Vice President Dick Cheney “was given a lot of deference by the president,” and said “in a number of ways, he has not served the president well.” He said Mr. Cheney was known as “the magic man” in the White House for his ability to get things done.

Mr. McClellan said that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice did not challenge the president or other top officials when she should have. “Too often she was too accommodating” to the president’s views, he said. She was also too deferential to Mr. Cheney and former Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld.