War Princess Lies to Congress

"Rice 'Falsely Testified' Yesterday on Pre-War WMD Intel, Says Wexler"

"Rice 'Falsely Testified' Today on Pre-War WMD Intel, Says Wexler

BLOGGED BY Brad Friedman ON 2/13/2008 2:34PM

Video Shows Heated Exchange Between Congressman and Secretary of State During This Morning's Hearing on Iraq in the U.S. House…

In an incredibly heated exchange today during a U.S. House hearing (see video at left) Rep. Robert Wexler (D-FL) grilled Sec. of State Condoleeza Rice on whether she ever saw pre-war intelligence that countered the administration's claims that Saddam Hussein had weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

In a statement just released by his office, Wexler says she "falsely testified" in response to his questions...

Secretary Rice Falsely Testified She Never Saw Intelligence Disputing Administration Claims that Iraq Possessed WMDs

(Washington, DC) Today, in reponse to questioning by Congressman Robert Wexler (D-FL) , Chairman of the Subcommittee on Europe and a senior member of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice falsely claimed she never saw intelligence casting doubt on Administration claims that Saddam Hussein possessed weapons of destruction. Numerous sources including the 2006 Senate Intelligence Report, a January 2004 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace report, as well as former CIA agents including Tyler Drumheller have pointed out that there was contrary intelligence to the information provided to the Bush Administration in the lead up to the Iraq war.

Congressman Wexler further questioned Secretary Rice on the over 900 false statements made by White House officials leading up to the war as recently reported by the Center for Public Integrity.

UPDATE 10:49pm PT: In an item posted by Wexler at dKos, covering this video, he adds a few notable details concerning his continuing quest for accountability in Congress:

I have been aggressively lobbying Members of Congress to support a vote on contempt, and I am thrilled to report that Speaker Pelosi told me directly that she agrees it is well past time to vote on contempt. I am anticipating that the House will shortly vote on resolutions of both civil and criminal contempt for both Miers and Bolten.

...and [emphasis in the original]...

No one should be immune from accountability and the rule of law.

Not Harriet Miers or Josh Bolten.

And especially not Condoleezza Rice, George W. Bush or Dick Cheney.

It is time to defend the Constitution and our rights as a co-equal branch of government.

...and...

I will continue to take on the Bush Administration for their outrageous abuses just as I confronted Condoleezza Rice today and Attorney General Mukasey last week. (Click here to see my questioning of Mukasey.)

With your help we will hold these top Bush officials in contempt and continue our efforts to hold impeachment hearings for Vice President Dick Cheney.

What say we start movements for Wexler to be the new House majority whip, and Feingold as Senate majority leader? Works for me."