Tenet Takes Responsibility for False Iraq Intelligence

AP via Drudge | 7/11/03 | By John Solomon

[randita]

Tenet Takes Responsibility for False Iraq Intelligence

CIA Director Admits Analysts Had Doubts About Information

By John Solomon

Associated Press Writer

Friday, July 11, 2003; 6:53 PM

WASHINGTON (AP) - CIA Director George Tenet acknowledged Friday his agency wrongly allowed President Bush to tell the American people that Iraq was seeking nuclear material from Africa when analysts had doubts about the quality of the intelligence.

"These 16 words should never have been included in the text written for the president," Tenet said in a statement released after Bush and his national security adviser, Condoleezza Rice, blamed the miscue on the CIA and members of Congress called for someone to be held accountable.

"This was a mistake," the director's statement said.

Tenet said the responsibility for vetting the allegations included in Bush's State of the Union address about Iraqi efforts to get uranium from Africa beloing to the CIA and ultimately with himself.

"Let me be clear about several things right up front," he said. "First, CIA approved the president's State of the Union address before it was delivered. Second, I am responsible for the approval process in my agency. And third, the president had every reason to believe that the text presented to him was sound."

Tenet said CIA officials reviewed portions of the draft speech and raised some concerns with national security aides at the White House that prompted changes in language concerning allegations that Iraq sought to buy uranium from the African nation of Niger. But he said the CIA officials failed to stop the remark from being uttered despite the doubts about its validity.

"Officials who were reviewing the draft remarks on uranium raised several concerns about the fragmentary nature of the intelligence with National Security Council colleagues," Tenet said. "Some of the language was changed. From what we know now, agency officials in the end concurred that the text in the speech was factually correct that the British government report said that Iraq sought uranium from Africa."

"This should not have been the test for clearing a presidential address," the statement continued. "This did not rise to the level of certainty which should be required for presidential speeches, and CIA should have ensured that it was removed."

Tenet's two-page statement came at the end of a tumultous 24 hours in which reports surfaced suggesting the CIA had raised concerns about the nature of the African allegations before the president made his speech.

That prompted Bush and his Rice to take issue. On a trip in Africa, they said Tenet's agency approved the language in the speech and never raised objections to them.

Members of Congress called on the CIA to be held accountable. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, said Tenet was ultimately responsible for the mistake.

"The director of central intelligence is the principal adviser to the president on intelligence matters," Roberts said. "He should have told the president. He failed. He failed to do so," Roberts said.

Tenet said there were "legitimate questions" about the CIA's conduct and he sought in his statement explain his agency's role in the matter.

Although the CIA did not learn until well after the president's speech in January that some documents obtained by British intelligence that formed the basis of the Iraq-Niger uranium allegations were forged, CIA officials recognized at the beginning that the allegation was based on "fragmentary intelligence gathered in late 2001 and early 2002," the director said.

A former diplomat was sent by the CIA to the region to check on the allegations and reported back that one of the Nigerian officials he met "stated that he was unaware of any contract being signed between Niger and rogue states for the sale of uranium during his tenure in office," Tenet said.

"The same former official also said that in June 1999 a businessman approached him and insisted that the former official meet with an Iraqi delegation to discuss 'expanding commercial relations' between Iraq and Niger. The former official interpreted the overture as an attempt to discuss uranium sales," Tenet said.

The diplomat sent to the region has alleged he believed Vice President Dick Cheney's office was apprised of the findings of his trip. But Tenet stated that the CIA "did not brief it to the president, vice president or other senior administration officials."

Tenet said when British officials in fall 2002 discussed making the Niger information public, his agency expressed their reservations to the British about the quality of the intelligence.

A CIA report that came out in October 2002 mentioned the allegations but did not give them full credence, stating "we cannot confirm whether Iraq succeeded in acquiring uranium ore." In addition, the report noted that State Department intelligence analysts found the allegations "highly dubious."

Because of the doubts, Tenet said he never included the allegations in his own congressional tetsimonies or public statements about Iraqi efforts to obtain weapons of mass destruction.

© 2003 The Associated Press

[Pan_Yans Wife]

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[Jorge]

This entire story is such a non-issue.
Intelligence agencies often get things wrong..it's nothing new.
The fact that the Dems and the liberal media are flailing at Bush over this weak accusation is just pathetic.

[South40]

And Tenet's a dimocRAT!

That just goes to show...

Be careful what you wish for.

[Gabrielle Reilly]

:) That picture of Cheney and Taff brought back nice memories. I was right in front of them, as was Senator Roberts, when that picture was taken at the over publiced (although good for Taff) luncheon. Remember the big ordeal when Cheney was accused of beating the war drums?

[Wild Irish Rogue]

" A former diplomat was sent by the CIA to the region to check on the allegations and reported back that one of the Nigerian officials he met "stated that he was unaware of any contract being signed between Niger and rogue states for the sale of uranium during his tenure in office," Tenet said."

The "former diplomat" is Joseph Wilson,variously referred to as Ambassador to Iraq ( false),but, he should be more appropriately referred to as a Clinton confidante.
Maybe someone can explain to me, how a "diplomat", not a CIA operative,not a forgery expert,not a yellowcake expert,not a weapons expert-can be the sole word on whether a country tried to sell uranium to Iraq.Especially since the diplomat is a Clinton crony and was against the war from the get go.

This is the title of the speech,he was delivering around the US,for a fee, before the war- Former Ambassador Joseph C. Wilson speaks on "Iraq: Disarmament or Conquest? The Case against Regime Change "

From the bio at the speakers bureau,it appears that the man described in the media, as a " former Ambassador to Iraq", was no such thing.He was acting ambassador for 5 months. As recently as July 6-CNN was referring to Wilson as the former Ambassador to Iraq.

1988-91-Deputy Chief of Mission at US Embassy,Baghdad
1992-1995 Ambassador to Gabonese Republic and Sao Tome
1995-97 Political Advisor CinC US Armed Forces ,Europe
1997-98 Sr Director for African American Affairs at NSC

"One of his major achievements was organizing President Clinton's historic trip to Africa in 1998." Which part-the bongos, the dashiki or the cigar smoking?

As far as I can tell, the whole brouhaha is being based on the word of a diplomat " who quickly" found out that the charges were false. Has one single reporter asked how Wilson was able to determine this ? Who were his sources ? What does Joseph Wilson know,that the British intelligence doesn't ? Did Wilson just take the word of people denying involvement or did he do an in depth investigation? How does Wilson know the people denying that Iraq tried to buy uranium are telling the truth ? What is Joseph Wilson's proof ? Verbal denials from his cronies in Africa, is not sufficient evidence.Can Joseph Wilson guarantee that Iraq did not attempt to buy uranium from Niger at any other time?

From the Seattle Times:

" Wilson never saw the disputed documents but talked with officials whose signatures would have been required and concluded the accusations were almost certainly false. In Washington, he briefed CIA officers but did not draft a report." According to the paper,he spent 8 days in Niger talking to people.
The real investigation should be why the CIA thought such a clearly political, partisan and unqualified person should be sent to Africa to resolve this sensitive issue.

[larryjohnson]

DCI slaps NSC "COLLEAGUES" which are appointees with no charter and little intell yet take up CIA desk space.

[Ken H]

From what we know now, agency officials in the end concurred that the text in the speech was factually correct that the British government report said that Iraq sought uranium from Africa."

Did the text of the SOTU say that the British government report said that Iraq sought Uranium...?

If the text did not say that, then Tenet is making a misstatement.

What are the "16 words" in the SOTU text that Tenet mentions?

[PhilDragoo]

The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.

Paragraph 67, sentence two, State of the Union Address, January 28, 2003.

[Ciexyz]

Great research! (Post #7)

[fish hawk]

TeneT is a palindrome.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

Thanks for the ping and the post!

And the Demonrats had some vicious TV attack ads with big media buys starting this weekend.

Now they have a problem, Terry is upset as mentioned on Foxnews !

Bush Doctrine Unfolds :

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[Ken H]

"The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."

Paragraph 67, sentence two, State of the Union Address, January 28, 2003.

Thanks.

So that's what all the fuss is about? It seems like a big nothing to me.

[PhilDragoo]

To make nothing into something the Leftists have to lop off the attribution to the British government and use media chanting.

It reveals how little broadcast television and radio networks have to do with journalism, and how much they are merely propaganda organs.

The substantive matter is national security which has been vastly enhanced by cleaning out that scorpion's nest.

The Left has desperately covered up the Iraqi connection in WTC I and 911.

Woolsey and Laurie Mylroie and Jayna Davis and Coleen Rowley--these and others should be given the job of exposing the trail, not Tenet, the former aide to Leahy and the successor designated by Deutch.

[cyncooper]

A former diplomat was sent by the CIA to the region to check on the allegations and reported back that one of the Nigerian officials he met "stated that he was unaware of any contract being signed between Niger and rogue states for the sale of uranium during his tenure in office," Tenet said.

"The same former official also said that in June 1999 a businessman approached him and insisted that the former official meet with an Iraqi delegation to discuss 'expanding commercial relations' between Iraq and Niger. The former official interpreted the overture as an attempt to discuss uranium sales," Tenet said.

The diplomat sent to the region has alleged he believed Vice President Dick Cheney's office was apprised of the findings of his trip. But Tenet stated that the CIA "did not brief it to the president, vice president or other senior administration officials."

This would be Joseph Wilson, I presume. WHY does the AP not name him? The man just kicked off this whole uproar and now wishes anonymity after the fact? I don't find this appropriate in the least.

And what is the part I bolded about? I don't remember Wilson including that part in his NY Times piece.

[cyncooper]

And again the headline implies that the whole of the story about Iraq trying to buy uranium is false, when nowhere does Tenet say that. He says their evidence does not rise to the level (a very high one, indeed) of absolute certainty. It was not based in its entirety upon the forged documents.

[cyncooper]

You have asked many pertinant questions. I want answers.

Interesting that Wilson was not named in this particular article. It's a big SECRET now, huh, AP?

[Porterville]

The way the press wants the public to see this is as if Saddham was a little Muslim choir boy picked on by big bad bully Bush... I don't think anybody is biting except for those who listen to NPR and Pacifica radio.

[Grampa Dave]

Here is a little more data on the left winger Joseph C. Wilson.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/941353/posts

Who is...AMBASSADOR JOSEPH C. WILSON, IV
The Middle East Institute ^ | unknown | AMBASSADOR JOSEPH C. WILSON, IV


Posted on 07/06/2003 4:06 PM PDT by harpu


AMBASSADOR JOSEPH C. WILSON, IV


Ambassador Wilson is CEO of JCWilson International Ventures, Corp., a firm specializing in Strategic Management and International Business Development.


Ambassador Wilson served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for African Affairs at the National Security Council from June 1997 until July 1998. In that capacity he was responsible for the coordination of U.S. policy to the 48 countries of sub-Saharan Africa. He was one of the principal architects of President Clinton’s historic trip to Africa in March 1998.

For more data on this life long left wing rat go to the link below.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/941353/posts