Return to Transcripts main page
CNN Saturday Morning News
CIA Director Takes Blame for Faulty Information
Aired July 12, 2003 - 08:03 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.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The CIA director's mea culpa won't be the last we'll be hearing of this controversy. In fact, it's probably just the beginning.
National correspondent Bob Franken has more on that from Washington -- and, Bob, while Tenet said he accepts responsibility for the agency, very clearly he did not say that he personally read and approved this script.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, it's interesting, there are people who are wondering whatever happened to the concept that John was talking about a moment ago, which is that the buck stops with the president.
But right now Republicans are scrambling. On the one hand, there is a hope that this is going to blow over. And on the other hand, Republicans like Pat Roberts, Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas, are trying to see that the splattering of this stops with the CIA director.
He had comments about that even before George Tenet made his statement. Here's what the senator had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. PAT ROBERTS (R-MS), CHAIRMAN, INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: If the CIA had changed its position, it was Iraqi border on the director of Central Intelligence to correct that record and certainly bring it to the immediate attention of the president. It appears that he did not. The director of Central Intelligence is the principal adviser to the president on intelligence matters. He should have told the president. He failed. He failed to do so.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKEN: And, by the way, let us not forget that the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, George Tenet, was actually a Clinton appointee and a lot of conservatives have never been particularly pleased with the fact that he's still in power.
Now, as for the Democrats, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee is Jay Rockefeller. He had a little bit more harsh take on things. He said the speech was still blatantly misleading and a lot of senior officials in the administration and the intelligence community knew it.
Now, of course, this is all a big political debate at this point. It's a political debate which, to no one's surprise, has permeated the Democratic presidential candidate ranks.
Witness candidate Howard Dean.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. HOWARD DEAN, (D-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's beginning to sound a little like Watergate. They start throwing people over the side, but the deeper you go, the more interesting it'll be. It's very clear that it may be George Tenet's responsibility, but that information also existed in the State Department. It also existed in the vice president's office. So they will not get away with simply throwing George Tenet over the side.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKEN: So here's where we are. We are finding out in the next few days whether this is a tempest in a teapot or, Fredricka, whether this has turned into a real political hurricane.
WHITFIELD: Well, it is certainly brewing, that's for sure.
Bob Franken, thanks very much -- John.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: OK, Fred, well, we want to know what our viewers think about this story. Our e-mail question of the day is: "Did the Bush administration mislead Americans about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction?"
The address is wam@cnn.com. We'll share some of your thoughts throughout CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
And CNN will present a special report, "WMD: Burden Of Proof," and that airs Sunday at 6:00 p.m. Eastern and 3:00 p.m. Pacific.
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 July 12, 2003 - 08:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
FREDRICKA WHITFIELD, CNN ANCHOR: The CIA director's mea culpa won't be the last we'll be hearing of this controversy. In fact, it's probably just the beginning.
National correspondent Bob Franken has more on that from Washington -- and, Bob, while Tenet said he accepts responsibility for the agency, very clearly he did not say that he personally read and approved this script.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, you know, it's interesting, there are people who are wondering whatever happened to the concept that John was talking about a moment ago, which is that the buck stops with the president.
But right now Republicans are scrambling. On the one hand, there is a hope that this is going to blow over. And on the other hand, Republicans like Pat Roberts, Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas, are trying to see that the splattering of this stops with the CIA director.
He had comments about that even before George Tenet made his statement. Here's what the senator had to say.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. PAT ROBERTS (R-MS), CHAIRMAN, INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: If the CIA had changed its position, it was Iraqi border on the director of Central Intelligence to correct that record and certainly bring it to the immediate attention of the president. It appears that he did not. The director of Central Intelligence is the principal adviser to the president on intelligence matters. He should have told the president. He failed. He failed to do so.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKEN: And, by the way, let us not forget that the director of the Central Intelligence Agency, George Tenet, was actually a Clinton appointee and a lot of conservatives have never been particularly pleased with the fact that he's still in power.
Now, as for the Democrats, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee is Jay Rockefeller. He had a little bit more harsh take on things. He said the speech was still blatantly misleading and a lot of senior officials in the administration and the intelligence community knew it.
Now, of course, this is all a big political debate at this point. It's a political debate which, to no one's surprise, has permeated the Democratic presidential candidate ranks.
Witness candidate Howard Dean.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GOV. HOWARD DEAN, (D-VT), PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE: It's beginning to sound a little like Watergate. They start throwing people over the side, but the deeper you go, the more interesting it'll be. It's very clear that it may be George Tenet's responsibility, but that information also existed in the State Department. It also existed in the vice president's office. So they will not get away with simply throwing George Tenet over the side.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
FRANKEN: So here's where we are. We are finding out in the next few days whether this is a tempest in a teapot or, Fredricka, whether this has turned into a real political hurricane.
WHITFIELD: Well, it is certainly brewing, that's for sure.
Bob Franken, thanks very much -- John.
JOHN VAUSE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: OK, Fred, well, we want to know what our viewers think about this story. Our e-mail question of the day is: "Did the Bush administration mislead Americans about Iraqi weapons of mass destruction?"
The address is wam@cnn.com. We'll share some of your thoughts throughout CNN SATURDAY MORNING.
And CNN will present a special report, "WMD: Burden Of Proof," and that airs Sunday at 6:00 p.m. Eastern and 3:00 p.m. Pacific.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
