Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Intelligence Probe
Aired February 02, 2004 - 07:06 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.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It appears that President Bush is ready to give the green light to an investigation of pre-war intelligence on Iraq.
White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Administration sources say President Bush will name a bipartisan independent commission to investigate intelligence that was used to justify the Iraq war. Sources say Mr. Bush will sign an executive order this week to create the new commission, which will likely include nine members, made up of lawmakers, intelligence experts and other panelists the president will appoint.
DAVID KAY, FMR. CHIEF U.S. WEAPONS INSPECTOR IN IRAQ: There were no large stockpiles of weaponized WMD at the time Operation Iraqi Freedom began.
MALVEAUX: The White House's reversal comes after damaging testimony from former U.S. weapons inspector David Kay and growing pressure from lawmakers and other top officials, who are trying to restore the administration's credibility.
SEN. JOSEPH BIDEN (D), DELAWARE: Everything is at stake here, whether you're talking about Iran, whether you're talking about North Korea and the future.
SEN. CHARLES HAGEL (R), NEBRASKA: It is just as Senator Biden said. It's not just the intelligence capability of this country, but it is far beyond that in some ways, and that is the credibility of who we are around the world and the trust of our government and our leaders.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The whole premise of pre-emptive war has been shattered, because it must be based on iron-clad empirical data.
MALVEAUX: Administration sources say the priorities now for the White House are to figure out the commission's makeup, the precise scope of its mission, whether it will deal with how the pre-war intelligence was treated, and the timeline for the investigation.
Some want the commission to be set up after the six panels already investigating pre-war intelligence submit their findings, which would likely mean after the presidential election. Others say it shouldn't wait. SEN. JAY ROCKEFELLER (D), WEST VIRGINIA: It ought to be done right away. And, you know, it may be used by the president in terms of getting by the election, but I can accept that, because national security trumps the presidential election every time.
MALVEAUX (on camera): Sources say Mr. Bush will set a 2005 deadline for the commission to complete its review to prevent the commission's work from becoming a political football during the campaign season.
Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, the White House.
(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 February 2, 2004 - 07:06 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
SOLEDAD O'BRIEN, CNN ANCHOR: It appears that President Bush is ready to give the green light to an investigation of pre-war intelligence on Iraq.
White House correspondent Suzanne Malveaux has more.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SUZANNE MALVEAUX, CNN WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Administration sources say President Bush will name a bipartisan independent commission to investigate intelligence that was used to justify the Iraq war. Sources say Mr. Bush will sign an executive order this week to create the new commission, which will likely include nine members, made up of lawmakers, intelligence experts and other panelists the president will appoint.
DAVID KAY, FMR. CHIEF U.S. WEAPONS INSPECTOR IN IRAQ: There were no large stockpiles of weaponized WMD at the time Operation Iraqi Freedom began.
MALVEAUX: The White House's reversal comes after damaging testimony from former U.S. weapons inspector David Kay and growing pressure from lawmakers and other top officials, who are trying to restore the administration's credibility.
SEN. JOSEPH BIDEN (D), DELAWARE: Everything is at stake here, whether you're talking about Iran, whether you're talking about North Korea and the future.
SEN. CHARLES HAGEL (R), NEBRASKA: It is just as Senator Biden said. It's not just the intelligence capability of this country, but it is far beyond that in some ways, and that is the credibility of who we are around the world and the trust of our government and our leaders.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: The whole premise of pre-emptive war has been shattered, because it must be based on iron-clad empirical data.
MALVEAUX: Administration sources say the priorities now for the White House are to figure out the commission's makeup, the precise scope of its mission, whether it will deal with how the pre-war intelligence was treated, and the timeline for the investigation.
Some want the commission to be set up after the six panels already investigating pre-war intelligence submit their findings, which would likely mean after the presidential election. Others say it shouldn't wait. SEN. JAY ROCKEFELLER (D), WEST VIRGINIA: It ought to be done right away. And, you know, it may be used by the president in terms of getting by the election, but I can accept that, because national security trumps the presidential election every time.
MALVEAUX (on camera): Sources say Mr. Bush will set a 2005 deadline for the commission to complete its review to prevent the commission's work from becoming a political football during the campaign season.
Suzanne Malveaux, CNN, the White House.
(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.
