Debunking Distortions About My Trip to Niger [Joe Wilson letter to WP editor]

Washington Post letters ^ | 7/17/04 | Joseph C. Wilson IV

[Paul_B]

(Excerpts only:) For the second time in a year, your paper has published an article [news story, July 10] falsely suggesting that my wife, Valerie Plame, was responsible for the trip I took to Niger on behalf of the U.S. government...

But that is not the only inaccurate assertion or conclusion in the Senate report uncritically parroted in the article. Other inaccuracies and distortions include the suggestion that my findings "bolstered" the case that Niger was engaged in illegal sales of uranium to Iraq. In fact, the Senate report is clear that the intelligence community attempted to keep the claim out of presidential documents because of the weakness of the evidence...

Between March 2003 and July 2003, the administration refused to acknowledge that it had known for more than a year that the claim on uranium sales from Niger had been discredited, until the day after my article in the New York Times.

[Paul_B]

Wilson's defense seems to consist of his wife not having made the "decision" of his being chosen for the Niger trip. But Novak only asserted that she "suggested" he be chosen. He then states that for a year now it has been widely understood she was irrelevant to the trip; but the Senate report contradicting that just came out, making a year's worth of "understanding" irrelevant.

Wilson then goes on to claim that the Senate report's assertions and conclusions are "inaccurate". This could get very interesting.

But why only a letter, which most will miss? This major news story, followed by a media-event book release deserves far more weighty treatment than just a letter. I suspect we haven't heard the end of this, even in the pages of the WP.

[muawiyah]

Whatever his story now, Wilson still has to explain how it was he knew about "forged documents" which, at the time, none of the Western intelligence agencies had access to.

Were they sitting, perhaps, on his dining room table?

In the end this guy and his wife are probably going to face the Rosenberg seat of judgment!

[lepton]

Other inaccuracies and distortions include the suggestion that my findings "bolstered" the case that Niger was engaged in illegal sales of uranium to Iraq. In fact, the Senate report is clear that the intelligence community attempted to keep the claim out of presidential documents because of the weakness of the evidence...

But...weren't you complaining that the Administration ignored your "weak evidence" report?

[lepton]

Other inaccuracies and distortions include the suggestion that my findings "bolstered" the case that Niger was engaged in illegal sales of uranium to Iraq. In fact, the Senate report is clear that the intelligence community attempted to keep the claim out of presidential documents because of the weakness of the evidence...

But...weren't you complaining that the Administration ignored your "weak evidence" report?

[sirchtruth]

I've asked this on three threads and not yet gotten an answer...

Could you please clarify, in simple wordage what J. Wilson supposedly lied about?

[Americanwolf]

Mr. Wilson..... A lie is a lie is a lie.... You have been caught lying in your book and lying in interviews. my question Mr. Wilson is when else have you lied.... Oh that is right you democratic cohorts, the only difference is they believe you and run your tripe as fact. One day Mr. Wilson I hope that you and your wife learn about integrity, but I doubt that you would even understand that concept if it bit you on the posterior.

[mewzilla]

Wilson and wifey should be subpoenaed. Let's see what they say UNDER OATH.

BTW, Joe,were you and/or wifey the Beeb's CIA source for the Beeb's yellowcake distortions... er, stories? Inquiring minds want to know...

[Paul_B]

Excerpts from the Susan Schmidt story that prompted Wilson's reply:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39834-2004Jul9.html

"Wilson's assertions -- both about what he found in Niger and what the Bush administration did with the information -- were undermined yesterday in a bipartisan Senate intelligence committee report.

The panel found that Wilson's report, rather than debunking intelligence about purported uranium sales to Iraq, as he has said, bolstered the case for most intelligence analysts. And contrary to Wilson's assertions and even the government's previous statements, the CIA did not tell the White House it had qualms about the reliability of the Africa intelligence that made its way into 16 fateful words in President Bush's January 2003 State of the Union address...

"The report turns a harsh spotlight on what Wilson has said about his role in gathering prewar intelligence, most pointedly by asserting that his wife, CIA employee Valerie Plame, recommended him...

"Wilson has asserted that his wife was not involved in the decision to send him to Niger."

It goes on. And it's far more weighty than Wilson's reply. The ball's in your court, mainstream editors. Got integrity?

[Paul_B]

See post #9.

[Ann Archy]

Whatever his story now, Wilson still has to explain how it was he knew about "forged documents" which, at the time, none of the Western intelligence agencies had access to.

Were they sitting, perhaps, on his dining room table?

In the end this guy and his wife are probably going to face the Rosenberg seat of judgment!

DING! DING! DING! We have a WINNER!!

[M Kehoe]

I liked post #5 better than #4. ;^)

Good morning.

5.56mm

[muawiyah]

You should look at response #9. At the same time keep in mind that Wilson began lieing when he answered his wife's question "Honey, what time is it".

[Ann Archy]

Is the Washington Post the ONLY newspaper to cover this story?? I haven't seen it in the Seattle Times!! (never will either)

[Peach]

The answer is here (and about two dozen other articles posted on FR):

http://freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1173183/posts

[McGavin999]

I think the guy ought to be prosecuted. No one ever said his wife made the decision, they only said she suggested he be the one sent. His conclusions about the trip have been substantiated by more than one person in the CIA and reports were probably written. I'm sure the committee has reviewed these and has interviewed those who took part. In addition, the Brit have just substantiated the claim. Wilson is a bald faced liar.

[Peach]

See what the GOP says about Wilson:

As last week's Senate Intelligence Committee report and this week's British government inquiry into their intelligence have shown, President Bush was correct when, in his State of the Union address, he said, "The British Government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."

For more than a year, former Ambassador Joe Wilson led Democrats to make allegations against the President--that he lied about African uranium--that have now been proven false. Senator Kerry embraced
and repeated these false charges.

Every television network and all major newspapers played up the accusations, and yet you may not have heard about this recent development because only NBC and The Washington Post have reported the latest revelation: It is Joe Wilson who lied.

"All of this matters," the Wall Street Journal noted yesterday, "because Mr. Wilson's disinformation became the vanguard of a year-long assault on Mr. Bush's credibility. The political goal was to portray the President as a 'liar,' regardless of the facts. Now that we know those facts, Americans can decide who the real liars are."

The Democratic Party for the past year has tried to discredit the President for steps he took to protect our country and now it is clear the President was right all along. The Democrats' plan to play politics
with National Security has backfired.

Even today, Joe Wilson's claim continues to appear on John Kerry's campaign website.

Perhaps John Kerry is as proud of his repudiated national steering committee member who has been exposed as a liar as he is of his vote against funding our troops in the field.

Sincerely,


P.S. Stay tuned for an exciting announcement about our activities during the Democratic National Convention in Boston.

[mewzilla]

I's also like to know, since the Iraqis were indeed interested in getting uranium from Niger, how it was that Wilson never found that out? Did he even look, or did he lie about what he found?

[mabelkitty]

Who to believe.
The entire bipartisan Senate Intel Committee, or a known liar with questionable ties to the Nigerian government.

[Dems_R_Losers]

The placement of this piece in the Saturday Washington Post was very deliberate. It guarantees discussion on all the Sunday morning talk shows, which will be echoed in the Monday newspapers.

A very weak rebuttal, though, IMO. Wilson falls back on the thin reed that the bipartisan, unanimously approved Senate Intelligence Committee report is a "Republican-written document." Unfortunately for him, even his pals in the liberal media are playing the SIC report straight and will not be part of any effort to undermine it as partisan.