Kucinich Applauds Investigation of Claims by Suskind
WASHINGTON - August 13 - Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) applauded Monday’s announcement by Representative John Conyers, Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, that the Committee will investigate allegations of White House prewar intelligence manipulation. The announcement followed a letter sent by Congressman Kucinich on Friday, August 8, requesting a hearing.
“I asked Chairman Conyers to investigate these claims because, if true, the Administration fabricated evidence and used it to lead the country into an unprovoked war,” said Kucinich.
Allegations that Bush Administration officials ordered the fabrication of a document they used to assert a connection between Saddam Hussein and Al-Qaeda were reported by Ron Suskind in his new book, “The Way of the World: A Story of Truth and Hope in the Age of Extremism.”
The Letter Follows:
August 8, 2008
The Honorable John Conyers, Jr.
House Committee on the Judiciary
2138 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515-0001
Dear Chairman Conyers:
A number of major news outlets recently reported new allegations that the White House manipulated intelligence used to justify the war in Iraq. If true, this would constitute a grave misuse of power and merit investigation by your Committee.
Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Ron Suskind has alleged in his book, "The Way of the World" that the White House ordered the CIA to create a letter from the head of Iraqi intelligence service, Tahir Jalil Habbush al-Tikriti, to Saddam Hussein that alleged a link between al Qaeda and Saddam Hussein. The letter was reportedly backdated to July 1, 2001. Mr. Suskind also alleges that the White House moved Mr. Habbush to Jordan and gave him $5 million, which could be construed as "hush money.”[ii] Finally, Mr. Suskind writes that the White House "ignored the Iraq intelligence chiefs accurate disclosure that there were no weapons of mass destruction in Iraq - intelligence they received in plenty of time to stop an invasion.”[iii]
These are serious allegations from a reputable source that, if confirmed, would create further evidence that the White House manipulated pre-war intelligence in order to lead the country into war. Congress must investigate these allegations. I urge you to take the lead on such an investigation.
Sincerely,
Dennis Kucinich
Member of Congress
Warrick, Joby, "White House Denies Author's Accusations of Document Forgery," Washington Post, August 6, 2008; Blackledge, Brett 1., "CIA officials deny fake Iraq-al-Qaida link letter," Associated Press, August 5, 2008
[ii] Allen, Mike, "Book Says White House ordered forgery," Politico, August 5, 2008
[iii] Allen, Mike, "Book Says White House ordered forgery," Politico, August 5, 2008
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