The Damning Evidence (Blair withheld evidence)

[DoYouEverWonder]

Revealed: Government witnesses knew September dossier was unsafe - but did not tell Hutton


http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/story.jsp?story=541514

16 July 2004


Crucial doubts about Iraq's ability to produce chemical weapons were withheld from two inquiries which examined the Government's case for war.

Lord Hutton's investigation into the death of David Kelly and Parliament's Intelligence and Security Committee, which monitors the intelligence services, were not told that information which helped Tony Blair claim that Saddam Hussein posed a "serious and current" threat had already been discredited and withdrawn by MI6.

The disclosure put new pressure on John Scarlett, the former chairman of the Joint Intelligence Committee (JIC), who is being urged to resign from his new post as head of MI6 following the criticism of the pre-war intelligence in the Butler report published on Wednesday.

<snip>

The withdrawals fatally undermine the case for war and would undoubtedly have had a significant bearing on the Hutton report. But they were not revealed to Lord Hutton by any of the government witnesses, who included Mr Blair, Geoff Hoon, the Secretary of State for Defence, Mr Scarlett, and Sir Richard Dearlove, the outgoing head of MI6. All stood by the claims in the dossier, although it is not clear how many were aware that the intelligence had been withdrawn.

[hang a left]

1. Hey, they do their investigations the American way. n/t

[struggle4progress]

3. Yep. They decide first what the conclusions will be.

[hansolsen]

7. Lords Hutton and Butler -- masters of the whitewash

Suggest paint manufacturers in Great Britain come out with two new shades of off-white paint:

Lord Hutton White

Lord Butler White

Sales would soar.

[UpInArms]

2. with this group

of government witnesses, who included Mr Blair, Geoff Hoon, the Secretary of State for Defence, Mr Scarlett, and Sir Richard Dearlove, one could definitely make a case for racketeering and conspiracy to defraud the public.

[DoYouEverWonder]

5. It just keeps getting better

everyday more and more information comes out about the criminality of this crew, yet no one seems to care? What do these guys have to do to get removed from power, eat babies on live TV?

[sandnsea]

6. Actually, I think they do

I thought perhaps run naked through the streets and pee on your door mat, but somebody pointed out they'd probably say they were just blowing off steam.

Eating babies on live TV? Maybe that'd do it.

[KoKo]

12. No one seems to care....It sure seems like that, these days.

A story will come out that is so damning, but then it's down the memory hole in a weeks time.

[rooboy]

4. kick n/t

[TacticalPeek]

8. Kick.

:kick:

[struggle4progress]

10. And once more.

:kick:

[Jack Rabbit]

9. Yep. More evidence against Blair

Aznar
Berlusconi
Blair
Bush
Howard

[TacticalPeek]

11. Kick.

[Matilda]

13. Too bad about David Kelly.

n/t

[AP]

14. Subject line is wrong. Article says info was withheld from Blair too.