The latest round of investigations show that the administration's selective use of intelligence involved declassifying any intelligence that supported its case for war.
(WASHINGTON, D.C.) - Commenting on today’s release of the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence’s Phase II report on pre-war intelligence assessments about post-war Iraq, U.S Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), a senior member of the committee, released the following statement:
“It is striking how accurate the Intelligence Community was in predicting today’s post-war reality in Iraq. It is even more striking how reckless the Administration was in disregarding the Intelligence Community’s warnings.
“Our national intelligence agencies correctly assessed that Al-Qaida would take advantage of a U.S. invasion to attack American soldiers in Iraq. This directly contradicts the administration’s assertions that launching a war in Iraq was central to combating terrorism.
“This also provides a clear cut example of the Administration’s selective use of intelligence – declassifying any intelligence that supported its case for war but withholding major assessments that contradicted its claims that invading Iraq would be quick and easy.”
The Senate Intelligence Committee released its first report dealing with Intelligence Community Assessments regarding Iraq on July 9th, 2004.
In 2006, Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) elected to break the second phase of the investigation into five reports. Today’s report is the third in the series. The first two focus on post-war findings about Iraq’s alleged weapons of mass destruction and links to terrorism and the use of information provided by the Iraqi National Congress.
To view the declassified report in its entirety visit: intelligence.senate.gov
Report Provides Sobering Account of Intelligence Community’s Pre-War AssessmentsSalem-News.com