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CNN Live At Daybreak

Resigned Iraqi Weapons Hunter Suspects Bad Intelligence

Aired January 26, 2004 - 06:09   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: David Kay suspects the pre-war intelligence on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction was faulty, and Kay says U.S. intelligence services owe President Bush an explanation.
Kay is no longer directing the hunt for Iraqi WMD, but he's still making news, as Chris Plante reports from the Pentagon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS PLANTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Six months after the fall of Baghdad, the head of the CIA's hunt for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq seemed to strike an optimistic tone, even though no banned weapons had yet been found.

DAVID KAY, IRAQ SURVEY GROUP: My advice to everyone is still, don't be surprised by surprises in Iraq.

SEN. PAT ROBERTS (R-KS), INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: I don't think when he said that that he thought the surprise would be that there would be no WMD.

PLANTE: In an interview with National Public Radio, David Kay, who recently resigned, concedes the pre-war intelligence may have been faulty.

KAY: Based on what I've seen is that we are very unlikely to find stockpiles -- war stockpiles of weapons.

PLANTE: Asked if President Bush owes the American public an explanation for the use of what appears to be flawed intelligence in making the case for war:

KAY: I actually think the intelligence community owes the president, rather than the president owing the American people.

PLANTE: The head of the Senate Intelligence Committee wants answers.

ROBERTS: Every intelligence agency from every country had the same intelligence. Now, how on earth did all of that go wrong?

PLANTE: Asked if his earlier predictions that weapons would be found are coming back to haunt him:

KAY: They're not coming back to haunt me in the sense of I'm embarrassed. They're coming back to haunt me in the sense of: Why could we all be so wrong? PLANTE: Still, Kay says it's possible more evidence will surface.

KAY: I personally think we're going to find program activities, and some of them were quite substantial.

PLANTE: He also suspects some weapons may have been moved to Syria.

KAY: There is ample evidence of movement to Syria before the war. I mean, there is satellite photography. There were reports on the ground of a constant stream of trucks, cars, rail traffic across the border. We simply don't know what was moved.

PLANTE (on camera): Secretary of State Colin Powell defended the invasion of Iraq in an interview on Russian TV, citing Iraq's past use of chemical weapons, their intent to have weapons of mass destruction, and 12 years of violating United Nations sanctions. He also said that the hunt for weapons of mass destruction and associated programs is continuing.

Chris Plante, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.






Aired January 26, 2004 - 06:09   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: David Kay suspects the pre-war intelligence on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction was faulty, and Kay says U.S. intelligence services owe President Bush an explanation.
Kay is no longer directing the hunt for Iraqi WMD, but he's still making news, as Chris Plante reports from the Pentagon.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

CHRIS PLANTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Six months after the fall of Baghdad, the head of the CIA's hunt for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq seemed to strike an optimistic tone, even though no banned weapons had yet been found.

DAVID KAY, IRAQ SURVEY GROUP: My advice to everyone is still, don't be surprised by surprises in Iraq.

SEN. PAT ROBERTS (R-KS), INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN: I don't think when he said that that he thought the surprise would be that there would be no WMD.

PLANTE: In an interview with National Public Radio, David Kay, who recently resigned, concedes the pre-war intelligence may have been faulty.

KAY: Based on what I've seen is that we are very unlikely to find stockpiles -- war stockpiles of weapons.

PLANTE: Asked if President Bush owes the American public an explanation for the use of what appears to be flawed intelligence in making the case for war:

KAY: I actually think the intelligence community owes the president, rather than the president owing the American people.

PLANTE: The head of the Senate Intelligence Committee wants answers.

ROBERTS: Every intelligence agency from every country had the same intelligence. Now, how on earth did all of that go wrong?

PLANTE: Asked if his earlier predictions that weapons would be found are coming back to haunt him:

KAY: They're not coming back to haunt me in the sense of I'm embarrassed. They're coming back to haunt me in the sense of: Why could we all be so wrong? PLANTE: Still, Kay says it's possible more evidence will surface.

KAY: I personally think we're going to find program activities, and some of them were quite substantial.

PLANTE: He also suspects some weapons may have been moved to Syria.

KAY: There is ample evidence of movement to Syria before the war. I mean, there is satellite photography. There were reports on the ground of a constant stream of trucks, cars, rail traffic across the border. We simply don't know what was moved.

PLANTE (on camera): Secretary of State Colin Powell defended the invasion of Iraq in an interview on Russian TV, citing Iraq's past use of chemical weapons, their intent to have weapons of mass destruction, and 12 years of violating United Nations sanctions. He also said that the hunt for weapons of mass destruction and associated programs is continuing.

Chris Plante, CNN, the Pentagon.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com.