Senate Select Committee Unveils Final Phase II Reports on Prewar Iraq Intelligence

[Lasher]

Source: Senator Rockefeller Media Advisory dated 06/04/08 at 12:58 PM EDT

Two Bipartisan Reports Detail Administration Misstatements on Prewar Iraq, and Inappropriate Intelligence Activities by Pentagon Policy Office

11:00 a.m. – Press Conference

What: The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence will provide comment on the final two remaining sections of their Phase II report on prewar intelligence.

Who: Chairman John D. Rockefeller IV and Members of the Intelligence Committee: Senators Dianne Feinstein, Ron Wyden, Sheldon Whitehouse.

When: Thursday, June 5, 2008 11:00 a.m.

Where: S-325, Senate Radio & TV Gallery, Washington, DC

No link yet.

---

I just picked this up via email from Senator Rockefeller's office. I will update as I find more. I have been watching for this with eager anticipation.

Edit: Found no news article about this in time to edit in a link.

Just before the press conference tomorrow there will be a 10AM background session where staff of the Senate Intelligence Committee will answer questions about the two reports.

Background:

Phase II consists of 5 sections, which are titled:

A comparison of prewar assessments with postwar findings on Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction program and potential links to al-Qa’ida terrorists

The role of the Iraqi National Congress (INC) in providing prewar intelligence

The quality of prewar intelligence assessments about postwar Iraq

Whether public statements and reports and testimony regarding Iraq by U.S. Government officials made between the Gulf War period and the commencement of Operation Iraqi Freedom were substantiated by intelligence information

Any intelligence activities relating to Iraq conducted by the Policy Counterterrorism Evaluation Group (PCTEG) and the Office of Special Plans within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy

The first two sections were released on September 8, 2006. The third section was released on May 25, 2007. The last two sections will be the subject of tomorrow's press conference.

More background here

[Hydra]

1. Can we sharpen the headsman's axes?

Or will the committee be "disappointed" with the Bush Administration and mildly chide them?

[Lasher]

3. I honestly don't know.

Frankly I had hoped these final two reports would have been released some time ago but I'm delighted to see this news.

FWIW, I just checked Google News to find a link and there isn't one. I do believe you literally heard it first here at DU LBN. There's nothing yet at Jay's website either.

[speedoo]

2. I look forward to reading this report.

I will be finished reading "The Commission" in a few days, and this Senate report could be illuminating as well.

[sinkingfeeling]

4. Wow, only THREE years late! This is what Harry Reid shut down the Senate about way back on

Nov. 8, 2005. Phase I came out in July (?) of 2004.

[Lasher]

5. Yes, that's right.

I must confess some impatience.

[Lasher]

6. This just in, too late to edit into the OP

Committee Reports will be available tomorrow – Thursday, June 5, 2008 – at 9 a.m. on the Senate Intelligence Committee’s website http://intelligence.senate.gov/

[Lasher]

11. OK, here are the final two reports:

Phase II Report on Public Statements

Phase II Report on DOD Policy Office

[PeaceNikki]

19. Yahoo story

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/iraq_usa_intelligence_dc

[Ian David]

7. Here's a link from Federation of American Scientists... that's an odd source.

http://www.fas.org/irp/news/2007/05/rockefeller052507.html

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 25, 2007



ROCKEFELLER UNVEILS PHASE II REPORT ON “PREWAR INTELLIGENCE ASSESSMENTS ON POSTWAR IRAQ”

--Report Details Intelligence Community Judgments Prior to War About Expected Difficulties Following Invasion--

Washington, DC -- The Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, Senator Jay Rockefeller, today unveiled one of the final remaining sections of the Committee’s review on pre-war intelligence. The report made public today, “prewar intelligence assessments about postwar Iraq,” is available on the Committee’s website and is accompanied by two recently declassified Intelligence Community assessments from January 2003.

“Today’s report shows that the Intelligence Community gave the Administration plenty of warning about the difficulties we would face if the decision was made to go to war. These dire warnings were widely distributed at the highest levels of government, and it’s clear that the Administration didn’t plan for any of them,” Rockefeller said.

“The Intelligence Community believed an American invasion would be exploited by Iran and al Qaeda terrorists and that an occupation of Iraq would fuel Islamist extremism. They also assessed that al Qaeda would seek to re-establish its presence in Afghanistan while the United States was diverted in Iraq.

“Sadly, the Administration’s refusal to heed these dire warnings, and worse, to plan for them, has led to tragic consequences for which our nation is paying a terrible price.

“Finally, the report shows that the Administration was not forthcoming with the American people about the potential costs of going to war,” Rockefeller concluded.

The Senate Intelligence Committee released their first report on intelligence related to Iraq on July 9, 2004. The first phase dealt strictly with the Intelligence Community’s failures related to Iraq’s weapons capabilities. The findings and recommendations of that report were an important impetus leading to landmark legislation reforming the United States Intelligence Community in late 2004.

The second phase of the Committee’s review was to look at all aspects of intelligence, including potential misuse of intelligence by Administration officials. The five sections included: 1) whether public statements and reports and testimony regarding Iraq by U.S. Government officials made between the Gulf War period and the commencement of Operation Iraqi Freedom were substantiated by intelligence information; 2) the postwar findings about Iraq's weapons of mass destruction and weapons programs and links to terrorism and how they compare with prewar assessments; 3) prewar intelligence assessments about postwar Iraq; 4) any intelligence activities relating to Iraq conducted by the Policy Counterterrorism Evaluation Group (PCTEG) and the Office of Special Plans within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy; and; 5) the use by the Intelligence Community of information provided by the Iraqi National Congress (INC).

Last fall, the Committee completed and publicly released two sections of Phase II: the role of the INC, and post-war findings on Iraq WMD and ties to terrorists. The Committee continues to work on the remaining sections of Phase II, which include a review of public statements, and the activities of former Under Secretary Feith.

Earlier this year, the Pentagon Inspector General released a report on the intelligence activities conducted by the Policy Counterterrorism Evaluation Group (PCTEG) and the Office of Special Plans and concluded they were inappropriate.

###

[Lasher]

9. Yep, when that was the third of the five sections I listed in the OP.

Here is an OP from a year ago, which includes a link to the actual report you referenced.

I have a concern regarding the fifth and final section titled, Any intelligence activities relating to Iraq conducted by the Policy Counterterrorism Evaluation Group (PCTEG) and the Office of Special Plans within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy. Last February the Pentagon's Inspector General completed an investigation of that organization. The report was declassified and released by the Pentagon on April 6 last year, at Senator Carl Levin's insistence. I have reason to believe that the Intelligence Committee has thought it might not complete this section, since the Pentagon study addressed the same concerns. However, deference to an internal Pentagon investigation is not an acceptable form of Congressional oversight, so I hope tomorrow's announcement regarding this section amounts to more than a rubber stamp of that report.

[Hubert Flottz]

10. If Jay rubber stamps the crap that the OSP and other assorted ...

crooks and liars have gotten the country into, he can forget about me punching his meal-ticket again in November. I'd thought that the facts would come out as soon as Bob Bennett left the senate Intelligence Committee chairmanship in the hands of Mr. Rockefeller. I'm "PUZZLED" as to why it's taken so long to release a report that was reportedly "About ready for release" way back in 2005 when Bennett was still chairman.

Watered down, shaded out, or truth lite, about the bushCo pre-war dancing around the facts and the real Intel and the deliberate incitement of the bloodletting in Iraq, will not set well with me, when it comes to me ever supporting Jay again.

What if patriots like Thomas Jefferson or George Washington had just gone along to get along with the unjust King George of the day? It's long past the time, that our "patriotic" congress-persons step up to bat, like Americans and "Protect and Defend" their country, soldiers, citizens, and the rule of law.

[Lasher]

12. Just now skimming through the Report on DOD Policy Office

It is not a rubber stamp as I had feared. About half of it consists of Republican members' whining at the end, saying how mean Jay was to even have published the report. This is gonna be good. And I haven't even opened the other report yet.

Time to check and see if the 10 AM thing is going to be televised.

Edit: Nope, doesn't look like anything's gonna be on until 11 AM EDT today. Jay will be in charge first, followed by minority whining.

[mdmc]

8. SHOW ME chIMPEACHMENT!

:kick:

[Lasher]

13. WOW, look at this press release from the Intelligence Committee website!

Senate Intelligence Committee Unveils Final Phase II Reports on Prewar Iraq Intelligence

-- Two Bipartisan Reports Detail Administration Misstatements on Prewar Iraq Intelligence, and Inappropriate Intelligence Activities by Pentagon Policy Office --

Washington, DC -- The Chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV, and a bipartisan majority of the Committee (10-5), today unveiled the final two sections of its Phase II report on prewar intelligence. The first report details Administration prewar statements that, on numerous occasions, misrepresented the intelligence and the threat from Iraq. The second report details inappropriate, sensitive intelligence activities conducted by the DoD’s Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Policy, without the knowledge of the Intelligence Community or the State Department.

“Before taking the country to war, this Administration owed it to the American people to give them a 100 percent accurate picture of the threat we faced. Unfortunately, our Committee has concluded that the Administration made significant claims that were not supported by the intelligence,” Rockefeller said. “In making the case for war, the Administration repeatedly presented intelligence as fact when in reality it was unsubstantiated, contradicted, or even non-existent. As a result, the American people were led to believe that the threat from Iraq was much greater than actually existed.”

“It is my belief that the Bush Administration was fixated on Iraq, and used the 9/11 attacks by al Qa’ida as justification for overthrowing Saddam Hussein. To accomplish this, top Administration officials made repeated statements that falsely linked Iraq and al Qa’ida as a single threat and insinuated that Iraq played a role in 9/11. Sadly, the Bush Administration led the nation into war under false pretenses.

More here: http://intelligence.senate.gov/press/record.cfm?id=298775

[Lasher]

14. Here's a link to the official conference call thread I just opened:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3389913

It's on right now, looks like they started early. Jay is blasting the administration!

[grytpype]

15. Senate committee: Bush knew Iraq statements were untrue

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/story/39963.html

Senate committee: Bush knew Iraq statements were untrue

WASHINGTON— A long-awaited Senate Select Intelligence Committee report made public Thursday concludes that President Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney made public statements to promote an invasion of Iraq that they knew at the time were not supported by available intelligence.

A companion report found that a special office set up by then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld undertook "sensitive intelligence activities" that were inappropriate "without the knowledge of the Intelligence Community or the State Department."

“Before taking the country to war, this administration owed it to the American people to give them a 100 percent accurate picture of the threat we faced. Unfortunately, our Committee has concluded that the administration made significant claims that were not supported by the intelligence,” said committee Chairman John D. Rockefeller IV, D- W. Va. It's long been known that the administration's claims in the runup to the Iraq war, from Saddam Hussein's alleged ties to al Qaida to whether Iraq had an active nuclear weapons program, were incorrect. But the Senate report is the first official examination of whether the president and vice president knew that their claims were incorrect at the time they made them.

“There is no question we all relied on flawed intelligence. But, there is a fundamental difference between relying on incorrect intelligence and deliberately painting a picture to the American people that you know is not fully accurate," Rockefeller said in a statement.

[jimshoes]

17. By inappropriate, does that imply illegal?

A companion report found that a special office set up by then Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld undertook "sensitive intelligence activities" that were inappropriate "without the knowledge of the Intelligence Community or the State Department."

Love to see ol rummy in cuffs being dragged into a prison cell.

[Supersedeas]

22. like the distinction between misstatement and lying

[Stardust]

21. Please post this in its own thread. This is the Holy Grail, right? K&R nt

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

16. K&R!!!! This is one of the most impt. pieces of news in our lifetime! Please keep it kicked!!!!

[countryjake]

18. kick!

[eppur_se_muova]

20. White House response: It's all old news.

The White House also rejected the report as old news.

"I know this is another report, and I'm sure that they put a lot of considerable thought into it, but this is a subject that has been gone over many many, many times, and I don't know of anything that's particularly new in it," said spokeswoman Dana Perino, who said she had not yet read it.
***
more: http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/06/05/senate.iraq/index.html

:puke: