Dick Cheney (Misspoken!) - Bin Laden not responsible for 9/11
- 11 years ago
Dick Cheney - Bin Laden not responsible for 9/11 (Turned out to be misspoken!)
Voormalig Vice President Dick Cheney: "So we've never made the case, or argued the case that somehow Osama bin Laden was directly involved in 9/11. That evidence has never been forthcoming."
— The Tony Snow Show (radio)
The quote in context:
Q I want to be clear because I've heard you say this, and I've heard the President say it, but I want you to say it for my listeners, which is that the White House has never argued that Saddam was directly involved in September 11th, correct?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: That's correct. We had one report early on from another intelligence service that suggested that the lead hijacker, Mohamed Atta, had met with Iraqi intelligence officials in Prague, Czechoslovakia. And that reporting waxed and waned where the degree of confidence in it, and so forth, has been pretty well knocked down now at this stage, that that meeting ever took place. SO WE'VE NEVER MADE THE CASE, OR ARGUED THE CASE THAT SOMEHOW OSAMA BIN LADEN [SIC] WAS DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN 9/11. THAT EVIDENCE HAS NEVER BEEN FORTHCOMING. But there -- that's a separate proposition from the question of whether or not there was some kind of a relationship between the Iraqi government, Iraqi intelligence services and the al Qaeda organization.
...
Q Okay. A couple of things, I think a couple of minutes ago -- I want to make sure -- YOU SAID OSAMA BIN LADEN WASN'T INVOLVED IN 9/11 PLANNING. YOU MEANT SADDAM HUSSEIN, CORRECT? THAT SADDAM HUSSEIN WAS NOT INVOLVED IN SEPTEMBER 11TH?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Correct. Yes, sir.
Q Okay.
THE PRESIDENT CHENEY: Thanks for straightening that out. I didn't realize I'd done that. (Laughter.)
Q Yes. Well, otherwise we'd have a whole lot more stories to deal with.
Voormalig Vice President Dick Cheney: "So we've never made the case, or argued the case that somehow Osama bin Laden was directly involved in 9/11. That evidence has never been forthcoming."
— The Tony Snow Show (radio)
The quote in context:
Q I want to be clear because I've heard you say this, and I've heard the President say it, but I want you to say it for my listeners, which is that the White House has never argued that Saddam was directly involved in September 11th, correct?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: That's correct. We had one report early on from another intelligence service that suggested that the lead hijacker, Mohamed Atta, had met with Iraqi intelligence officials in Prague, Czechoslovakia. And that reporting waxed and waned where the degree of confidence in it, and so forth, has been pretty well knocked down now at this stage, that that meeting ever took place. SO WE'VE NEVER MADE THE CASE, OR ARGUED THE CASE THAT SOMEHOW OSAMA BIN LADEN [SIC] WAS DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN 9/11. THAT EVIDENCE HAS NEVER BEEN FORTHCOMING. But there -- that's a separate proposition from the question of whether or not there was some kind of a relationship between the Iraqi government, Iraqi intelligence services and the al Qaeda organization.
...
Q Okay. A couple of things, I think a couple of minutes ago -- I want to make sure -- YOU SAID OSAMA BIN LADEN WASN'T INVOLVED IN 9/11 PLANNING. YOU MEANT SADDAM HUSSEIN, CORRECT? THAT SADDAM HUSSEIN WAS NOT INVOLVED IN SEPTEMBER 11TH?
THE VICE PRESIDENT: Correct. Yes, sir.
Q Okay.
THE PRESIDENT CHENEY: Thanks for straightening that out. I didn't realize I'd done that. (Laughter.)
Q Yes. Well, otherwise we'd have a whole lot more stories to deal with.