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Pelosi: 'Bush Administration Misrepresents Depth of Iraq-al Qaeda Relationship'

House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 18, 2004

Washington, D.C. -- House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi issued the following statement today after Vice President Cheney's mischaracterization of the relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda:

"For nearly three years, the Bush Administration has misrepresented the depth of the relationship between Saddam Hussein's Iraq and al Qaeda. They continue to do so, even after the 9/11 Commission concluded this week that there is no evidence of a working association between Iraq and al Qaeda, despite evidence of some contacts over a 10-year period.

"Last night in a TV interview, Vice President Cheney mischaracterized the commission's findings when he said: 'The notion that there is no relationship between Iraq and al Qaeda just simply is not true.'

"The Commission did not say there was 'no relationship;' it said there was no 'collaborative relationship.' That's an important distinction. For example, the Commission found that al Qaeda's requests for training sites in Iraq and help by Iraq in obtaining weapons apparently brought no Iraqi response.

"The American people have a right to know why the President and Vice President persist in trying to create the impression that there was more to the contacts between Iraq and al Qaeda than is supported by the evidence reviewed by the Commission."