U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts joined the White House offensive Friday in blaming the CIA for President Bush's inaccurate statement that Saddam Hussein had tried to buy uranium from Africa to build nuclear weapons.
The Kansas Republican, who chairs the Senate Intelligence Committee, accused the CIA of engaging in a "campaign of press leaks" in order "to discredit the president."
"I am very disturbed by what appears to be extremely sloppy handling of the issue from the outset by the CIA," Roberts said.
But as the Bush administration blamed the CIA, others said mounting questions about intelligence gathering that led to the invasion of Iraq showed the need for a public congressional investigation.
The Senate Intelligence Committee has conducted several closed-door meetings to review intelligence issues, and plans three more meetings as its staff of 10 works round-the-clock, Roberts said. Documents under review, he said, are stacked "floor-to-ceiling."
The committee will conduct public meetings in September, he said.
Controversy develops
But critics of the closed-door sessions say Roberts needs to open them now.
Steven Aftergood, a senior research analyst for the Federation of American Scientists, said Roberts "is a serious person and hard worker," but added "the controversy over intelligence has gotten away from the committee."
"It has become a bigger story that is developing quickly, and his committee is not in the lead. I was personally put off by his (Roberts') refusal to even use the word 'investigation' to describe his committee's work. According to Roberts, the word investigation is a pejorative. To me, that is just silly," Aftergood said.
Aftergood's group, which is based in Washington, D.C., conducts research on foreign policy and national security and advocates for greater accountability of intelligence agencies.
In recent days, the White House admitted Bush was wrong in January when he said in his State of the Union address that Iraq tried to purchase nuclear material from Niger. Bush's assertion was made seven weeks before the United States went to war, but months after some government officials said the information was false.
Bush also stated Saddam was a threat to the United States because he had nuclear, chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction. None has been found. And Bush also has said that Saddam had links to al-Qaida terrorists, an allegation that increasingly is coming under question.
"These are extremely important matters because they concern the credibility not only of the White House but also the intelligence agencies," Aftergood said. "We have to know whether direct statements from the president can be taken at face value."
Criticizing the CIA
Roberts agreed the questions are of national importance, especially because the Bush administration has embarked on a foreign policy of pre-emption, which "relies on having good intelligence."
But Roberts said that was why the Intelligence Committee must be able to analyze classified information behind closed doors, away from the daily headlines and partisan bickering.
However, Roberts has his own criticisms of the CIA. He said he had seen no evidence the agency had reversed an earlier position and dismissed as false the report about Iraq seeking uranium.
"If the CIA had changed its position, it was incumbent on the director of Central Intelligence to correct the record and bring it to the immediate attention of the president. It appears that he did not," Roberts said.
As his committee continues working, Roberts said he had publicly called for anyone within the government who felt pressured by the administration to doctor intelligence to come forward to the committee, even anonymously.
He said that, so far, no one had.
And he said he was often asked if any White House officials had pressured him.
They haven't, he said, "and they better not."
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