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American Morning
Interview with Senator Bob Graham
Aired October 04, 2002 - 09:02 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.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: The president seems to be winning over Congress in his push for the power to go to war against Iraq, but some Congressional leaders claim the CIA is leaving them in the dark about critical intelligence information they need to make informed decisions on Iraq.
Florida Senator Bob Graham, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee joins us from Capitol hill.
Welcome back. Glad to have you with us as we wrap of the week here.
SEN. BOB GRAHAM (D-FL), CHAIRMAN OF SENATE INTELLIGENCE CMTE.: Thank you, Paula.
ZAHN: Senator Graham, what have you asked of the CIA that you haven't gotten?
GRAHAM: Let me mention three things, one, we've asked what would likely be the affect of different types of war in Iraq on its neighboring states? For instance, what's the likelihood that weapons of mass destruction will be use on allies like Turkey and Israel? Second, we've asked what will happen inside the United States? We know there is substantial number of sleepers in the U.S. Will they be alerted to attack us with terrorism while we are attacking Iraq? And third, what will happen after the war is over? There's going to be a big reconstruction job, both of a nation and of a society in Iraq. What's going to be our responsibility? What will it cost? How long will we be there?
ZAHN: Those questions that you are posing, some might perceive as hypothetical. Do you think the CIA is capable of answering those questions at this hour?
GRAHAM: We spend a great deal of money every year with many, many people around the world, through our various intelligence agencies to be able to -- we don't ask them to be soothsayers and have a crystal ball, but we ask them to give us the best human judgment and assessment of what might happen on issues such as those three.
ZAHN: So you met with the head of the CIA yesterday, what did he tell you about the critical information you say he's not giving you?
GRAHAM: Well, he said that he wants to revisit the relationship between the agency and the investigative committees, and we are meeting with director Tenet in a closed session later this morning, and I hope that we'll get the information that we want and be in a better position to advise our colleagues on issues such as that. When they make the decision next week, relative to the various resolutions of war that will be before us.
ZAHN: I know you say you're not looking to the CIA to be soothsayers, but one your colleagues, Senator Pat Roberts, thinks the CIA has been -- quote -- "as forthright as they can be." And according to the "New York Times," Roberts said lawmakers are frustrated by the fact that the agency has an inability to make the predictions on matters that are unknown.
GRAHAM: I don't believe the questions that we've asked are beyond the reasonable ability of the CIA to give them -- to give to us. Its best assessment. We're not asking them to go beyond their human capability. But we're asking them to give us the best information that they can develop and analysis of that information.
ZAHN: Based on what you heard from CIA director Tenet yesterday, how would you describe the tenor of the relations between the CIA and Congress right now?
GRAHAM: Well, I hope that they are beginning to get back on track. I believe strongly that the public deserves government to act as mature adults and to work together for the benefit of the public, and I hope that that's the direction that we are now going to be moving on in terms of Congress and the CIA and the other agencies that make up the intelligence community.
ZAHN: There are a bunch of members of Congress who believe that the CIA has withheld information because they don't want to shed any light or highlight the discrepancies among the State Department, the CIA and the pentagon Over the president's plan here. To what extent do you think politics is affecting all this?
GRAHAM: I'm not going to get into motivations. I just can report those facts that I can report as to what's happened to this relationship, and the fact they think that it is now moving in the right direction.
ZAHN: Let me ask you this, was the head of the CIA able to answer any broader questions how war in Iraq might affect the ongoing war on terror, and if he did, were those satisfactory to you?
GRAHAM: Well, those are the questions we'll be asking in a closed session which starts at 11:00 this morning.
ZAHN: And what do you expect to hear?
GRAHAM: Well, I'll be interested in what he says, I personally am concerned. I think the number one priority we have in a region of the world where we've got lots of problems is completing the war on terror. The reason that that's so important is all of the other threats, it's the only one which has an embedded capacity inside the United States of America to commit terrorist acts on Americans, to do as their goal is to kill Americans.
So that's, in my judgment, our number one priority, and I don't want us to do anything that would distract us from the quickest completion of that vital mission.
ZAHN: Senator, if you don't get the information you say Congress needs to make critical decisions about whether the U.S. should consider going into Iraq, then what?
GRAHAM: Well, we can't force the CIA to act if they refuse to do so. At least we can't do it between now and the time we'll have to make decisions next week on the war resolution. We will be less prepared to inform our colleagues and the American public and participate in a reasoned decision as to what our future course of action should be, without the information that the CIA can and should provide us.
ZAHN: I know you got a very busy day ahead. Thanks for spending a small part of your morning with us this morning. Appreciate your time, Senator Bob Graham of Florida -- Bill.
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 4, 2002 - 09:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
PAULA ZAHN, CNN ANCHOR: The president seems to be winning over Congress in his push for the power to go to war against Iraq, but some Congressional leaders claim the CIA is leaving them in the dark about critical intelligence information they need to make informed decisions on Iraq.
Florida Senator Bob Graham, chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee joins us from Capitol hill.
Welcome back. Glad to have you with us as we wrap of the week here.
SEN. BOB GRAHAM (D-FL), CHAIRMAN OF SENATE INTELLIGENCE CMTE.: Thank you, Paula.
ZAHN: Senator Graham, what have you asked of the CIA that you haven't gotten?
GRAHAM: Let me mention three things, one, we've asked what would likely be the affect of different types of war in Iraq on its neighboring states? For instance, what's the likelihood that weapons of mass destruction will be use on allies like Turkey and Israel? Second, we've asked what will happen inside the United States? We know there is substantial number of sleepers in the U.S. Will they be alerted to attack us with terrorism while we are attacking Iraq? And third, what will happen after the war is over? There's going to be a big reconstruction job, both of a nation and of a society in Iraq. What's going to be our responsibility? What will it cost? How long will we be there?
ZAHN: Those questions that you are posing, some might perceive as hypothetical. Do you think the CIA is capable of answering those questions at this hour?
GRAHAM: We spend a great deal of money every year with many, many people around the world, through our various intelligence agencies to be able to -- we don't ask them to be soothsayers and have a crystal ball, but we ask them to give us the best human judgment and assessment of what might happen on issues such as those three.
ZAHN: So you met with the head of the CIA yesterday, what did he tell you about the critical information you say he's not giving you?
GRAHAM: Well, he said that he wants to revisit the relationship between the agency and the investigative committees, and we are meeting with director Tenet in a closed session later this morning, and I hope that we'll get the information that we want and be in a better position to advise our colleagues on issues such as that. When they make the decision next week, relative to the various resolutions of war that will be before us.
ZAHN: I know you say you're not looking to the CIA to be soothsayers, but one your colleagues, Senator Pat Roberts, thinks the CIA has been -- quote -- "as forthright as they can be." And according to the "New York Times," Roberts said lawmakers are frustrated by the fact that the agency has an inability to make the predictions on matters that are unknown.
GRAHAM: I don't believe the questions that we've asked are beyond the reasonable ability of the CIA to give them -- to give to us. Its best assessment. We're not asking them to go beyond their human capability. But we're asking them to give us the best information that they can develop and analysis of that information.
ZAHN: Based on what you heard from CIA director Tenet yesterday, how would you describe the tenor of the relations between the CIA and Congress right now?
GRAHAM: Well, I hope that they are beginning to get back on track. I believe strongly that the public deserves government to act as mature adults and to work together for the benefit of the public, and I hope that that's the direction that we are now going to be moving on in terms of Congress and the CIA and the other agencies that make up the intelligence community.
ZAHN: There are a bunch of members of Congress who believe that the CIA has withheld information because they don't want to shed any light or highlight the discrepancies among the State Department, the CIA and the pentagon Over the president's plan here. To what extent do you think politics is affecting all this?
GRAHAM: I'm not going to get into motivations. I just can report those facts that I can report as to what's happened to this relationship, and the fact they think that it is now moving in the right direction.
ZAHN: Let me ask you this, was the head of the CIA able to answer any broader questions how war in Iraq might affect the ongoing war on terror, and if he did, were those satisfactory to you?
GRAHAM: Well, those are the questions we'll be asking in a closed session which starts at 11:00 this morning.
ZAHN: And what do you expect to hear?
GRAHAM: Well, I'll be interested in what he says, I personally am concerned. I think the number one priority we have in a region of the world where we've got lots of problems is completing the war on terror. The reason that that's so important is all of the other threats, it's the only one which has an embedded capacity inside the United States of America to commit terrorist acts on Americans, to do as their goal is to kill Americans.
So that's, in my judgment, our number one priority, and I don't want us to do anything that would distract us from the quickest completion of that vital mission.
ZAHN: Senator, if you don't get the information you say Congress needs to make critical decisions about whether the U.S. should consider going into Iraq, then what?
GRAHAM: Well, we can't force the CIA to act if they refuse to do so. At least we can't do it between now and the time we'll have to make decisions next week on the war resolution. We will be less prepared to inform our colleagues and the American public and participate in a reasoned decision as to what our future course of action should be, without the information that the CIA can and should provide us.
ZAHN: I know you got a very busy day ahead. Thanks for spending a small part of your morning with us this morning. Appreciate your time, Senator Bob Graham of Florida -- Bill.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
