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American Morning
Blair Facing Tough Questions Today About Apparent Suicide of Weapons Expert, Information Government Used as Reasons For War
Aired August 28, 2003 - 08:07 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: British Prime Minister Tony Blair facing tough questions earlier today about the apparent suicide of a weapons expert and information his government used as reasons to go with war. This is videotape from a few moments ago of the British prime minister leaving the royal courts of justice when the questioning wrapped up a short time ago.
Robin Oakley tracking that story for us -- Robin, what do we need to know?
Good afternoon there.
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Bill.
A dramatic story here, really. We don't often see a prime minister before a public inquiry into the death of that weapons scientist, Dr. David Kelly, the man who became the center of the row between the British government and the BBC over reports that the government had sexed up their dossier on Saddam Hussein's weapons.
Now, Tony Blair told the inquiry dramatically this morning that if the BBC accusations emanating from Dr. Kelly had been true, that they had inserted the claim he could launch weapons at 45 minutes notice, that they'd done so knowing those reports to be wrong and that they'd done so against the wishes of the intelligence services.
If those things had been right, said Tony Blair, then it would have merited his resignation as prime minister. This, he said, was something that went to the very heart of the office of prime minister and the way in which the intelligence services operated. He's been asked about the compilation of the dossier. He's defended that, saying it was right for him and his communications director, Alistair Campbell, to stiffen up the language in the dossier so long as it remained under the control of the intelligence services. And he maintains it did.
As for pushing Dr. Kelly out into the public domain for grilling, which may have led to his death, Tony Blair said they couldn't be accused of a cover-up once his name started to emerge, that he had confessed he was a potential source for that story. Then it simply had to be done. And it didn't necessarily suit the government's purpose to have him out before those committees. He might have said things that were uncomfortable for them.
But Tony Blair has got through this stage of his grilling. He may be called back for cross-examination later. But the question is how much damage has been done to his government long-term by the revelation of the government's obsession with its presentation in the media -- Bill.
HEMMER: We'll wait for him to return.
Robin Oakley, thanks, live in London watching that story for us.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
of Weapons Expert, Information Government Used as Reasons For War>
Aired August 28, 2003 - 08:07 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: British Prime Minister Tony Blair facing tough questions earlier today about the apparent suicide of a weapons expert and information his government used as reasons to go with war. This is videotape from a few moments ago of the British prime minister leaving the royal courts of justice when the questioning wrapped up a short time ago.
Robin Oakley tracking that story for us -- Robin, what do we need to know?
Good afternoon there.
ROBIN OAKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good afternoon, Bill.
A dramatic story here, really. We don't often see a prime minister before a public inquiry into the death of that weapons scientist, Dr. David Kelly, the man who became the center of the row between the British government and the BBC over reports that the government had sexed up their dossier on Saddam Hussein's weapons.
Now, Tony Blair told the inquiry dramatically this morning that if the BBC accusations emanating from Dr. Kelly had been true, that they had inserted the claim he could launch weapons at 45 minutes notice, that they'd done so knowing those reports to be wrong and that they'd done so against the wishes of the intelligence services.
If those things had been right, said Tony Blair, then it would have merited his resignation as prime minister. This, he said, was something that went to the very heart of the office of prime minister and the way in which the intelligence services operated. He's been asked about the compilation of the dossier. He's defended that, saying it was right for him and his communications director, Alistair Campbell, to stiffen up the language in the dossier so long as it remained under the control of the intelligence services. And he maintains it did.
As for pushing Dr. Kelly out into the public domain for grilling, which may have led to his death, Tony Blair said they couldn't be accused of a cover-up once his name started to emerge, that he had confessed he was a potential source for that story. Then it simply had to be done. And it didn't necessarily suit the government's purpose to have him out before those committees. He might have said things that were uncomfortable for them.
But Tony Blair has got through this stage of his grilling. He may be called back for cross-examination later. But the question is how much damage has been done to his government long-term by the revelation of the government's obsession with its presentation in the media -- Bill.
HEMMER: We'll wait for him to return.
Robin Oakley, thanks, live in London watching that story for us.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
of Weapons Expert, Information Government Used as Reasons For War>
