DoD Statement on News Reports of al-Qaida and Iraq Connections

DefenseLink (Department of Defense) ^ | November 15, 2003

[Symblized]

No. 851-03 IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 15, 2003

DoD Statement on News Reports of al-Qaida and Iraq Connections

News reports that the Defense Department recently confirmed new information with respect to contacts between al-Qaida and Iraq in a letter to the Senate Intelligence Committee are inaccurate.

A letter was sent to the Senate Intelligence Committee on October 27, 2003 from Douglas J. Feith, Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, in response to follow-up questions from his July 10 testimony. One of the questions posed by the committee asked the Department to provide the reports from the Intelligence Community to which he referred in his testimony before the Committee. These reports dealt with the relationship between Iraq and al-Qaida.

The letter to the committee included a classified annex containing a list and description of the requested reports, so that the Committee could obtain the reports from the relevant members of the Intelligence Community.

The items listed in the classified annex were either raw reports or products of the CIA, the NSA, or, in one case, the DIA. The provision of the classified annex to the Intelligence Committee was cleared by other agencies and done with the permission of the Intelligence Community. The selection of the documents was made by DOD to respond to the Committee’s question. The classified annex was not an analysis of the substantive issue of the relationship between Iraq and al Qaida, and it drew no conclusions.

Individuals who leak or purport to leak classified information are doing serious harm to national security; such activity is deplorable and may be illegal. -END-

[Symblized]

Maybe this is why there hasn't been much reporting on it.

[nuffsenuff]

The liberal media read this and thought that the DOD was saying that the article was bogus.

When all they are saying is that information is not new and the characterization of it being new by the Weekly Standard is inaccurate.

But the libs didn't bother to read it. They just saw the first line and went "WHEW!!!"...

I hate liberals.

[Symblized]

The above isn't a political statement on my part, it's just that the DoD says the report is inaccurate, in that the memo isn't supposed to reach any conclusions, unlike Hayes' article which IMO obviously details conclusions. The other part of the DoD release which I noted is that someone seems pretty angry at whoever leaked the document, leading me to believe that, if nothing else, the memo included some very sensitive information.

[xzins]

Posted yesterday.

All this says is that the Defense Department denies Confirming NEW information.

It doesn't say that the information is wrong.

X

[Symblized]

Thanks. What's the link to the post yesterday?

[MEG33]

That statement is a study in government speak."inaccurate that we recently confirmed new information".In fairness they go on to talk about raw intelligence...but that statement neither confirms or denies the information in the memo. There is so much smoke here...

[xzins]

Link to yesterday's comments

I'd just as soon you didn't ping to have your new thread removed. This topic deserves to be on a sidebar throughout the time that the osama/saddam revelations get discussed. If multiple posts of the same thread is the only way to accomplish that, then so be it.

[xzins]

Yep, it almost makes you wonder what the purpose of the news release denying confirmation actually was.

[MEG33]

I agree.It is important to keep it going.

[nuffsenuff]

CYA

They allowed the info to be released, let it circulate, and then denied that the info was new. To keep the discussion going.

The reason the memo was leaked was to show that the DEMS on the Senate Intelligence Committee were getting the info. When they SHUT UP about the "Bush Lied" nonsense, they have essentially "declassified" the info without revealing the details.

[tallhappy]

News reports that the Defense Department recently confirmed new information with respect to contacts between al-Qaida and Iraq in a letter to the Senate Intelligence Committee are inaccurate.

Yes. Much of the info was not recent but from the 1990's.

This non-denial denial does not state any of the info was untrue. They state they did not state any conclusions based on the info.

[tallhappy]

Yep, it almost makes you wonder what the purpose of the news release denying confirmation actually was.

I think it was "don't leak classified information."