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Pre-War Intelligence
Aired October 24, 2003 - 10:31 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.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's check in on Capitol Hill. That is where a Senate select committee on intelligence is preparing a report on the intelligence community's prewar assessment on Iraq. "The Washington Post" reports an inquiry will issue a blistering review of the report, which the White House used for its case for war. The "Post" also say that CIA director George Tenet and his lieutenants are likely to be singled out for scathing criticism.
Our national security correspondent David Ensor has been working on the story. He shares his findings.
David, good morning.
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATL. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
As you say, the Senate report is not ready yet, but already it's planned conclusions have been described to reporters, and they are scathing, about the work of U.S. intelligence on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. It looks like director of Central Intelligence George Tenet is in the hot seat now. Senate intelligence committee chairman Pat Roberts has been quoted as saying U.S. intelligence work was sloppy in an October 2002 classified document called an NIE. That's a National Intelligence Estimate, which was used by the administration as part of its justification for war.
Senate staffers are saying that they are struck by how weak they think the intelligence was in some cases backing up some of the assertions in that NIE. In a statement, spokesman Bill Harlow responds -- quote -- "We are perplexed" -- this is the CIA spokesman -- "We are perplexed to hear that the committee has reached some conclusions, when only Wednesday the DCI requested" -- that's Tenet -- "requested a meeting with chairman Roberts during which Director Tenet strongly requested an opportunity for intelligence community senior leadership to appear before the full committee to help them understand this important and complex subject.
And though the NIE was produced in record time, Harlow he goes on to say -- quote -- "that it reflects 10 years worth of work on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs."
Now, you will recall that it wasn't just the CIA that thought Iraq had WMD before the war, the United Nations, for example, did, too, and CIA officials say the Senate Committee conclusions are premature, also because David Kay and his group are still looking for weapons in Iraq. Kay still believes he may find some, particularly in the chemical weapons area. But that said, this leak of where the committee is headed, suggests that George Tenet may face a very rocky road in the coming days. With the blame game escalating on Iraqi WMD, it seems that Republicans would rather see George Tenet in trouble than George Bush -- Daryn.
KAGAN: I want to understand more about this thing we call the NIE, this report, you know, and these allegation of it being a rush job. Why the need at that time to rush anything like that, since the focus of Iraq and having weapons of mass destruction, this is clearly been studied for years and years.
ENSOR: Well, at the time, it was in fact senators who were pressing the CIA to come up with an NIE, in other words, a really well researched paper on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. They wanted that to examine before they voted on the question in Iraq. They wanted that to examine before they voted on the question of whether to authorize President Bush, in effect, if need be later on to go to war. So they wanted this document fast. They got it quickly.
As I say, the intelligence community says that it was based on 10 years of work, but it was done in a great rush, that is true -- Daryn.
KAGAN: David Ensor, thank you for explaining that from Washington. We appreciate that.
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 October 24, 2003 - 10:31 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DARYN KAGAN, CNN ANCHOR: Let's check in on Capitol Hill. That is where a Senate select committee on intelligence is preparing a report on the intelligence community's prewar assessment on Iraq. "The Washington Post" reports an inquiry will issue a blistering review of the report, which the White House used for its case for war. The "Post" also say that CIA director George Tenet and his lieutenants are likely to be singled out for scathing criticism.
Our national security correspondent David Ensor has been working on the story. He shares his findings.
David, good morning.
DAVID ENSOR, CNN NATL. SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Good morning, Daryn.
As you say, the Senate report is not ready yet, but already it's planned conclusions have been described to reporters, and they are scathing, about the work of U.S. intelligence on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. It looks like director of Central Intelligence George Tenet is in the hot seat now. Senate intelligence committee chairman Pat Roberts has been quoted as saying U.S. intelligence work was sloppy in an October 2002 classified document called an NIE. That's a National Intelligence Estimate, which was used by the administration as part of its justification for war.
Senate staffers are saying that they are struck by how weak they think the intelligence was in some cases backing up some of the assertions in that NIE. In a statement, spokesman Bill Harlow responds -- quote -- "We are perplexed" -- this is the CIA spokesman -- "We are perplexed to hear that the committee has reached some conclusions, when only Wednesday the DCI requested" -- that's Tenet -- "requested a meeting with chairman Roberts during which Director Tenet strongly requested an opportunity for intelligence community senior leadership to appear before the full committee to help them understand this important and complex subject.
And though the NIE was produced in record time, Harlow he goes on to say -- quote -- "that it reflects 10 years worth of work on Iraq's weapons of mass destruction programs."
Now, you will recall that it wasn't just the CIA that thought Iraq had WMD before the war, the United Nations, for example, did, too, and CIA officials say the Senate Committee conclusions are premature, also because David Kay and his group are still looking for weapons in Iraq. Kay still believes he may find some, particularly in the chemical weapons area. But that said, this leak of where the committee is headed, suggests that George Tenet may face a very rocky road in the coming days. With the blame game escalating on Iraqi WMD, it seems that Republicans would rather see George Tenet in trouble than George Bush -- Daryn.
KAGAN: I want to understand more about this thing we call the NIE, this report, you know, and these allegation of it being a rush job. Why the need at that time to rush anything like that, since the focus of Iraq and having weapons of mass destruction, this is clearly been studied for years and years.
ENSOR: Well, at the time, it was in fact senators who were pressing the CIA to come up with an NIE, in other words, a really well researched paper on weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. They wanted that to examine before they voted on the question in Iraq. They wanted that to examine before they voted on the question of whether to authorize President Bush, in effect, if need be later on to go to war. So they wanted this document fast. They got it quickly.
As I say, the intelligence community says that it was based on 10 years of work, but it was done in a great rush, that is true -- Daryn.
KAGAN: David Ensor, thank you for explaining that from Washington. We appreciate that.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
