Suskind Source Backs CIA Denial; Suskind Suggests Arm-Twisting by White HouseOn Friday the CIA issued an official denial of Ron Suskind’s claim that the White House ordered the CIA to fabricate a letter suggesting a link between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda. The statement declared flatly that “it did not happen,” and called Suskind’s charges “false” and “offensive.”
One of Suskind’s key on-the-record sources for the claim, former CIA official Rob Richer, had challenged Suskind’s account when it was first reported earlier this month. And over the weekend, Richer told The Washington Post that he agrees with the CIA statement, saying that the forgery “never happened.”
In response, Suskind suggested to the Post that he thinks the Bush administration has been leaning on his sources. “The White House is focusing on this because there may be legal complications for the administration,” he said.
To be continued, no doubt. . .
