And So It Begins

Biden accuses

Bolton of providing

disingenuous

information to the

Senate on interviews

over Niger claim

Link Here

The ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Joe Biden (D-DE), accused Bush's UN nominee on deceiving Congress in a letter issued today to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, RAW STORY has learned.

Biden asserts he has discovered that Bush UN nominee John R. Bolton was interviewed by the State Department's Inspector General in relation to alleged Iraqi attempts to procure uranium from Niger.

Bolton did not tell this to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee during his confirmation hearings. The Delaware Democrat asks that Rice tell the Senate whether information provided on the White House's nominee was inaccurate.

The letter, provided to RAW STORY, follows.

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July 28, 2005

The Honorable Condoleezza Rice Secretary of State Washington, DC 20520

Dear Madam Secretary:

It has just come to my attention that then-Undersecretary of State John Bolton was interviewed on July 18, 2003 by the State Department Office of the Inspector General in connection with a joint State Department/CIA IG investigation related to the alleged Iraqi attempts to procure uranium from Niger. This information would appear to be inconsistent with information that Mr. Bolton provided to the Committee on Foreign Relations during the Committee's consideration ofms pending nomination to be Permanent Representative to the United Nations.

The Committee on Foreign Relations expects all nominees to provide to it accurate and timely information. Indeed, in submitting the Committee's questionnaire, all nominees are required to swear out an affidavit stating that the information provided is "true and accurate." It now appears that Mr. Bolton's answers may not meet that standard. I write, therefore, to request that you review this matter to determine whether incomplete or inaccurate information was provided by Mr. Bolton.

Thank you for your assistance.

Sincerely,

Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Ranking Minority Member

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