SMOKING GUN: Democrats Have Proof Pre-War Intel Was Manipulated

CLICK TO READ: Democrats Have Proof Pre-War Intel Was Manipulated by Jason Leopold

Senate Democrats Carl Levin and Henry Waxman have "dug up additional explosive evidence over the past week that they say will help prove the Bush administration deliberately manipulated pre-war Iraq intelligence that was used to convince Congress and the public to support" the war.

Levin claims this new information will debunk "the administration's assertion that it 'mistakenly' included the 16-word reference in President Bush's January 2003 State of the Union address claiming that Iraq tried to purchase yellowcake uranium... from Niger." According to Levin's aides, the administration knew months before that the information was unreliable and based on forged documents.

Sen. Levin rebutted "Vice President Cheney's assertion that those criticising the war were "dishonest" and "reprehensible" and that Democrats criticizing the administration of manipulating intelligence were 'opportunists'." Levin claims to have "smoking-gun proof" that Bush and Cheney lied about both the existence of weapons of mass destruction and claims that Iraq had tried to obtain yellowcake uranium from Niger.

Levin and Waxman are in possession of a Dec. 2002 letter sent to the White House and the National Security Council by Mohammed El Baradei, head of the IAEA, warning the administration that the Niger claims were bogus and should not be used as evidence that Iraq was actively trying to obtain WMDs.

Further, they are in possession of a 3-page June 20, 2003 letter from El Baradei laying out all the details of his attempt to get to the bottom of the Niger uranium story.

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