ABC's Good Morning America - Transcript

SHOW: GOOD MORNING AMERICA (07:00 AM ET) - ABC

HEADLINE: CONTROVERSY OVER FALSEHOODS IN STATE OF THE UNION SENATORS WANT TO KNOW WHO'S RESPONSIBLE

BODY:
CHARLES GIBSON, ABC NEWS

(Off Camera) All right, thanks, Elizabeth. Now we're going to turn to the CIA Director under pressure.

CHARLES GIBSON

(Voice Over) Senators yesterday grilled George Tenet for almost five hours during a secret Intelligence Committee hearing. Tenet has taken the blame for letting an unproven accusation against Iraq get into President Bush's State Of The Union Address. But, lawmakers now say they want to know who at that White House was responsible. Joining us this morning Senator Richard Durbin of Illinois who was at the hearing yesterday. Senator, good to have you with us.

SENATOR DICK DURBIN,

(D-IL SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE

Good to be here.

CHARLES GIBSON

(Off Camera) Some of your fellow Senators said Tenet told you that he didn't know the sentence was in there. Correct?

SENATOR DICK DURBIN

Well, I can't really repeat what was said in the hearing room. But this I can tell you, we've been asking the wrong question. We've been asking why did George Tenet not stop the White House from misleading the American people. The more important question is who is it in the White House who was Hell bent on misleading the American people and why are they still there?

CHARLES GIBSON

(Off Camera) So, what's the answer to that? Did he have any idea who in the White House was, in you words, Hell bent, on putting that sentence in there?

SENATOR DICK DURBIN

Well, he certainly told us who the person was who was insistent on putting this language in which the CIA knew to be incredible. This language about the uranium shipment from Africa. And there was this negotiation between the White House and the CIA about just how far you could go and be close to the truth. If, unfortunately those 16 words were included in the most important speech the President delivers in any given year.

CHARLES GIBSON

(Off Camera) And so who was it at the White House who put it in there?

SENATOR DICK DURBIN

Well, of course, you put me at a disadvantage, being a member of the Intelligence Committee I can't disclose that. But I trust that it will come out. But, it should come out from the President. The President should be outraged that he was misled and he then misled the American people. He needs to go to the very heart of the matter. People need to be held accountable on his watch in his White House.

CHARLES GIBSON

(Off Camera) Was it the Vice President?

SENATOR DICK DURBIN

I can't, of course, disclose who it was.

CHARLES GIBSON

(Off Camera) The central question though, Senator, is, of course, did the White House misrepresent intelligence on Iraq and if so did they do it knowingly?

SENATOR DICK DURBIN

This much I can say. The President has apologized for what was in there and said it was wrong. The director of the CIA said it should have been removed. I think that tells the story. Those words in the President's State Of The Union Address misled the American people about the threat in Iraq. It suggested that there was a shipment of uranium from Africa being used for nuclear weapons that could be a threat to the region or even to the United States. That was entirely misleading and it was inappropriate and should not have been included in that speech.

CHARLES GIBSON

(Off Camera) And all leads to the issue of whether we went to war under false pretenses.

SENATOR DICK DURBIN

Of course it does. And that's why I'm going to be introducing an Amendment on the floor today to the Defense Appropriations Bill calling on the President to report to Congress as to exactly how intelligence was used by his White House. Was he given good information, or people in his White House given good information, which was then hyped or spun or exaggerated to try to create this sentiment in favor of war? That's a very important question.

CHARLES GIBSON

(Off Camera) All right. Senator, Durbin, I appreciate your being with us this morning. All the best. Thanks.

SENATOR DICK DURBIN

Thank you.