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Washington, D.C. - In an effort to uncover the truth behind the Bush Administration's pre-Iraq war policy, Congressman Maurice Hinchey (D-NY) today urged the House International Relations Committee to adopt a measure he authored that would require President Bush and Defense Secretary Rumsfeld to present Congress with all documents relating to communications with British officials regarding Iraq, from the start of the Bush presidency until the start of the war. With the Downing Street memos indicating that the Bush Administration had long-intended to invade Iraq rather than seek a diplomatic resolution as was publicly stated, Hinchey said he felt it was critical for Congress and the public to see exactly what was said between U.S. and British officials leading up to the war. The House International Relations Committee narrowly rejected Hinchey's resolution largely along party lines, with 23 members voting against the measure, 22 voting for it, and one voting present.
"The Downing Street memos are a series of explosive documents that detail how the Bush Administration was intent on invading Iraq at the same time it was publicly stating that war was only a last resort." Hinchey said. "In order to have a clear understanding of exactly what the Bush Administration's internal thinking and actual policy was prior to the war, it is imperative that the White House and Pentagon release all related documents. We know from British documents that officials there believed, based on their communications with U.S. officials, that President Bush was long-committed to war with Iraq despite public assertions otherwise. Since it has become clear that we cannot trust the public rhetoric that comes from the White House, it is time to review all of the internal Bush Administration documents to see for ourselves what the Iraq policy exactly was prior to the invasion."
The first Downing Street memo was published by the British newspaper, The Sunday Times, on May 1, 2005. Since then, a total of eight secret British documents pertaining to the invasion of Iraq have been released. All of the documents were written by or intended for high-level British officials between March 14 and July 23, 2002, a full eight months before the invasion of Iraq. The documents show that contrary to assertions by President Bush, intelligence leading up to the Iraq war was in fact manipulated to fit the Bush agenda of invading Iraq. Additionally, the decision to go to war was made secretly and far in advance of the invasion, and there was little or no post-invasion planning.
Hinchey's resolution would require President Bush to transmit to the U.S. House of Representatives all Iraq-related documents, including telephone and electronic mail records, logs, calendars, minutes, and memos in the possession of the president relating to communications with officials of the United Kingdom from January 1, 2001, to March 19, 2003. Those documents would include any discussions or communications between the president, then National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, or other Administration officials and officials of the United Kingdom. The Hinchey measure would also require Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld to present similar documents, including any discussions or communications between any Defense Department official, including Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Douglas J. Feith and Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence Dr. Stephen A. Cambone, and officials of the United Kingdom.
The Downing Street memos makes clear that President Bush and his administration had decided to invade Iraq long before the actual invasion. One of the most damning statements in the Downing Street Memo comes from a foreign policy aide to David Manning, the UK Foreign Policy Advisor. The memo states, "The Foreign Secretary said he would discuss this with Colin Powell this week. It seemed clear that Bush had made up his mind to take military action, even if the timing was not yet decided. But the case was thin. Saddam was not threatening his neighbors, and his WMD capability was less than that of Libya, North Korea, or Iran."
"If the Bush Administration deliberately manipulated the intelligence on Iraq to meet its intended policy of invading Iraq, as the Downing Street memos say they did, then I believe a criminal investigation of high-level administration officials is warranted," Hinchey said. "The Congress and the American people deserve to see all of the Bush Administration's documents related to Iraq so that we can make a fair assessment as to whether the president and his administration deliberately misled us."
The Hinchey measure was a resolution of inquiry, which is a House procedure that seeks factual information from the executive branch. It applies only to requests for facts -- not opinions -- within the Administration’s control.
Hinchey vowed to continue fighting in Congress to find ways to uncover the truth behind the Bush Administration's Iraq policy.
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