Return to Transcripts main page

Live From...

U.K. Judge Faults BBC, Not Tony Blair, in Intel Scandal

Aired January 28, 2004 - 13:04   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.


MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Now to London, where the intel outcry spawned a scandal and then a suicide, and finally a scathing indictment of the BBC, and an all-clear for Tony Blair. It's quite a twisted tale.
CNN's Robin Oakley ties it all together in the long-awaited Hutton report.

Hello. How are you -- Robin?

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN SENIOR EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: Hello, Miles.

Well, the Hutton inquiry report has been, as you say, very good news for Tony Blair. Basically, he's been cleared on all counts in the battle between him and the British Broadcasting Corporation over those allegations from the BBC that Tony Blair had sexed-up his dossier on Saddam Hussein's weapons programs.

Essentially, Lord Hutton has said that in pushing David Kelly, the source for the BBC stories, out into the public domain -- and pressures that eventually led to his suicide -- the government and Tony Blair nothing dishonorable or discreditable; cleared also on the accusations by the BBC of the misuse of intelligence. Lord Hutton said there was nothing wrong in the government giving advice to the Joint Intelligence Committee in the formation of that dossier. That led Tony Blair in the House of Commons today to turn around and demand that his critics should withdraw.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The allegation that I or anyone else lied to this house or deliberately misled the country by falsifying intelligence on weapons of mass destruction is itself the real lie.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hear, hear!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hear, hear!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hear, hear!

BLAIR: And I simply ask that those that have made it and repeated it over all these months now withdraw it fully, openly, and clearly.

(END VIDEO CLIP) OAKLEY: Strong criticism from the Hutton inquiry for the BBC. The reporter, Andrew Gilligan, it was said his report was unfounded that Tony Blair had made the allegation that Saddam Hussein could unleash weapons of mass destruction at 45 minutes' notice, that Blair had insisted on those being inserted in the dossier against the wishes of the intelligence community and knowing that fact to be wrong.

That has led, now, to an apology from the BBC's director general Greg Dyke.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GREG DYKE, BBC CHIEF EXECUTIVE: Thanks to the process of Lord Hutton's inquiry, we now know more about the evolution of the December dossier. The BBC does accept the certain key allegations reported by Andrew Gilligan on the "Today" program on May the 29th last year were wrong, and we apologize for them. However, we would point out, again, that at no stage in the last eight months have we accused the prime minister of lying, and we have said this publicly on several occasions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OAKLEY: And now, finally, in the last two minutes, Miles, a final sign of success for Tony Blair in this battle with the BBC. Gavin Davis, the chairman of the BBC Governors, it's been confirmed, he has resigned as chairman of the BBC Governors. He says that it's a tradition that you accept the verdict of the referee. You can't choose the referee. You accept the referee's verdict, and those at the top of an organization must carry the can for whatever that organization does. So, he's resigned now -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Robin, it's been quite a couple of days for Tony Blair. Is he out of the woods, as far as maintaining power there?

OAKLEY: He's surviving. He's damaged. He's been damaged by a vote in the House of Commons in which his majority dropped from 161 to only 5. He's not carrying the hearts of his MPs at the moment. He never has since he took them to war against Iraq against the wishes of many of them.

He will remain damaged by that issue, unless and until weapons of mass destruction are found. But he's certainly been vindicated by the Hutton inquiry on allegations that would have forced him to resign had the BBC's original case against him been proven -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Thank you very much.

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 28, 2004 - 13:04   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
MILES O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: Now to London, where the intel outcry spawned a scandal and then a suicide, and finally a scathing indictment of the BBC, and an all-clear for Tony Blair. It's quite a twisted tale.
CNN's Robin Oakley ties it all together in the long-awaited Hutton report.

Hello. How are you -- Robin?

ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN SENIOR EUROPEAN POLITICAL EDITOR: Hello, Miles.

Well, the Hutton inquiry report has been, as you say, very good news for Tony Blair. Basically, he's been cleared on all counts in the battle between him and the British Broadcasting Corporation over those allegations from the BBC that Tony Blair had sexed-up his dossier on Saddam Hussein's weapons programs.

Essentially, Lord Hutton has said that in pushing David Kelly, the source for the BBC stories, out into the public domain -- and pressures that eventually led to his suicide -- the government and Tony Blair nothing dishonorable or discreditable; cleared also on the accusations by the BBC of the misuse of intelligence. Lord Hutton said there was nothing wrong in the government giving advice to the Joint Intelligence Committee in the formation of that dossier. That led Tony Blair in the House of Commons today to turn around and demand that his critics should withdraw.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

TONY BLAIR, BRITISH PRIME MINISTER: The allegation that I or anyone else lied to this house or deliberately misled the country by falsifying intelligence on weapons of mass destruction is itself the real lie.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hear, hear!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hear, hear!

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Hear, hear!

BLAIR: And I simply ask that those that have made it and repeated it over all these months now withdraw it fully, openly, and clearly.

(END VIDEO CLIP) OAKLEY: Strong criticism from the Hutton inquiry for the BBC. The reporter, Andrew Gilligan, it was said his report was unfounded that Tony Blair had made the allegation that Saddam Hussein could unleash weapons of mass destruction at 45 minutes' notice, that Blair had insisted on those being inserted in the dossier against the wishes of the intelligence community and knowing that fact to be wrong.

That has led, now, to an apology from the BBC's director general Greg Dyke.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

GREG DYKE, BBC CHIEF EXECUTIVE: Thanks to the process of Lord Hutton's inquiry, we now know more about the evolution of the December dossier. The BBC does accept the certain key allegations reported by Andrew Gilligan on the "Today" program on May the 29th last year were wrong, and we apologize for them. However, we would point out, again, that at no stage in the last eight months have we accused the prime minister of lying, and we have said this publicly on several occasions.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

OAKLEY: And now, finally, in the last two minutes, Miles, a final sign of success for Tony Blair in this battle with the BBC. Gavin Davis, the chairman of the BBC Governors, it's been confirmed, he has resigned as chairman of the BBC Governors. He says that it's a tradition that you accept the verdict of the referee. You can't choose the referee. You accept the referee's verdict, and those at the top of an organization must carry the can for whatever that organization does. So, he's resigned now -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Robin, it's been quite a couple of days for Tony Blair. Is he out of the woods, as far as maintaining power there?

OAKLEY: He's surviving. He's damaged. He's been damaged by a vote in the House of Commons in which his majority dropped from 161 to only 5. He's not carrying the hearts of his MPs at the moment. He never has since he took them to war against Iraq against the wishes of many of them.

He will remain damaged by that issue, unless and until weapons of mass destruction are found. But he's certainly been vindicated by the Hutton inquiry on allegations that would have forced him to resign had the BBC's original case against him been proven -- Miles.

O'BRIEN: Thank you very much.

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