Bombshell - FBI Interrogator: Saddam Lied About WMDs To Scare Iran
The FBI agent that questioned Saddam Hussein for 7 months comes forth with startling revelations to 60 Minutes this week.
Saddam Hussein initially didn’t think the U.S. would invade Iraq to destroy weapons of mass destruction, so he kept the fact that he had none a secret to prevent an Iranian invasion he believed could happen. The Iraqi dictator revealed this thinking to George Piro, the FBI agent assigned to interrogate him after his capture.
Piro, in his first television interview, relays this and other revelations to 60 Minutes correspondent Scott Pelley this Sunday, Jan. 27, at 7 p.m. ET/PT.
Piro spent almost seven months debriefing Saddam in a plan based on winning his confidence by convincing him that Piro was an important envoy who answered to President Bush. This and being Saddam’s sole provider of items like writing materials and toiletries made the toppled Iraqi president open up to Piro, a Lebanese-American and one of the few FBI agents who spoke Arabic.
“He told me he initially miscalculated… President Bush’s intentions. He thought the United States would retaliate with the same type of attack as we did in 1998…a four-day aerial attack,” says Piro. “He survived that one and he was willing to accept that type of attack.” “He didn’t believe the U.S. would invade?” asks Pelley, “No, not initially,” answers Piro.
Once the invasion was certain, says Piro, Saddam asked his generals if they could hold the invaders for two weeks. “And at that point, it would go into what he called the secret war,” Piro tells Pelley. But Piro isn’t convinced that the insurgency was Saddam’s plan. “Well, he would like to take credit for the insurgency,” says Piro.
Saddam still wouldn’t admit he had no weapons of mass destruction, even when it was obvious there would be military action against him because of the perception he did. Because, says Piro, “For him, it was critical that he was seen as still the strong, defiant Saddam. He thought that [faking having the weapons] would prevent the Iranians from reinvading Iraq,” he tells Pelley.
He also intended and had the wherewithal to restart the weapons program. “Saddam] still had the engineers. The folks that he needed to reconstitute his program are still there,” says Piro. “He wanted to pursue all of WMD…to reconstitute his entire WMD program.” This included chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, Piro says.
Saddam bragged that he changed his routine and security to elude capture. “What he wanted to really illustrate is…how he was able to outsmart us,” says Piro. “He told me he changed…the way he traveled. He got rid of his normal vehicles. He got rid of the protective detail that he traveled with, really just to change his signature.”
It took nine months to finally capture Saddam, but U.S. calculations on where he might be early on turned out to be accurate. Saddam was at Dora Farms early in the war when the known presidential site was targeted with tons of bombs and many missiles. “He said it in a kind of a bragging fashion that he was there, but that we missed him. He wasn’t bothered by the fact that he was there,” Piro tells Pelley.
(CBS)
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Everyone of the news outlets will totally ignore this: “He also intended and had the wherewithal to restart the weapons program. “Saddam] still had the engineers. The folks that he needed to reconstitute his program are still there,” says Piro. “He wanted to pursue all of WMD…to reconstitute his entire WMD program.” This included chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, Piro says.”
To be fair we did find less potent chemical WMDs, and got rid of Saddam.
He did gas his own people, as well as the Iranians.
He did fund Palestinian homicide bombers. Bush pledged to take on all supporters of terrorism, and was justified in taking out Saddam.
This changes nothing, we must win over there.
January 24th, 2008 at 1:48 pmAs Maxwell Smart would say: Interesting, very interesting. I wonder about the timing of this story in regards to Iran, and the other dick head nations.
As I recall, Saddam (who now sits at the right hand of Mohammad with his virgins and gold) did GAS people in his own country and he himself was a weapon of mass destruction.
Can’t wait to hear the MSM spin on this story.
January 24th, 2008 at 1:49 pmThe statement that he was trying to bluff everybody, especially Iran and the US, always made sense to me, and I’ve told a few moonbats who demanded, “Whythehell would he pretend to have nukes if he didn’t?” that it was to keep Iran’s hordes off his back. Maybe he actually fooled QOD, and set Iran off on its bomb hunt!
January 24th, 2008 at 2:24 pmI wonder if Piro also got info on the alleged Libyan proxy-Iranian nuke collaboration and is keeping it classified.
January 24th, 2008 at 2:27 pmThis is the crucial revelation
…He also intended and had the wherewithal to restart the weapons program. “Saddam] still had the engineers. The folks that he needed to reconstitute his program are still there,” says Piro. “He wanted to pursue all of WMD…to reconstitute his entire WMD program.” This included chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, Piro says…
So much for the Bush lied crap now eh lib fucks? If Bushes War had not liberated Iraq Saddam would have eventually finished the nuke the Niger yellow cake was for and given it to his AQ associates. 9/11 would have looked like a walk in the park in comparison. Thank god Bush was president on 9/11 and not the weak, pathetic liberal douch bags of the Democrat party.
January 24th, 2008 at 2:29 pmWhat Saddam said would come under the Islamic heading of kitma or half-truth.
According to one of his generals in charge of WMD’s 1/3 of his stockpile was destroyed by the UN. 1/3 was buried…500 barrels of which (partially full) were uncovered by us. The other 1/3 was shipped off to Syria in the opening night of Gulf War II.
It is a fact that Saddam used WMD’s on the Kurds, the Shia and the Iraniacs. And it is a fact that he fully intended to restart his WMD program in earnest. But his statements in my estimation leave out some crucial points. He’s only told half the story.
Ah, but he’s now enjoying that private cell in the bowels of hell. No more Doritos for Saddam. No air, no water, no hope…Only weeping and gnashing of teeth for the mother of all fools. Too bad, so sad…
January 24th, 2008 at 2:54 pm“No more Doritos for Saddam”
That’s funny, Dan, as I am currently eating Doritos, I kid you not…heh heh
January 24th, 2008 at 2:58 pmI have to wonder why Piro believes this to be true? Liars lie, thus the name. I know he was with him for a long time but I don’t even know if Saddam had any idea what was true and what was not. The fact of his intention to restart the program is the “nugget” in there that will be widely ignored. There is a lot of evidence contradicting his statements about what he had on hand too.
January 24th, 2008 at 3:20 pmThat’s it!!! i’m getting me a “SADDAM LIED PEOPLE DIED” bumper sticker!!
January 24th, 2008 at 3:33 pm@Bash (The Infidel)
Doritos were Saddam’s favorite infidel snack in prison. When he ran out, the interrogators would bring him more if he cooperated with them.
January 24th, 2008 at 3:46 pm@Caligula
“That’s it!!! i’m getting me a “SADDAM LIED PEOPLE DIED” bumper sticker!!”
January 24th, 2008 at 7:26 pmPeople Died! Saddam Died! Fewer People Died!
January 24th, 2008 at 8:34 pmA senior Syrian journalist reports Iraq WMD located in three Syrian sites
January 24th, 2008 at 10:51 pmhttp://www.2la.org/syria/iraq-wmd.php
Caligula, you beat me to it!
January 24th, 2008 at 11:11 pmA new book shows Saddam did support al Qaeda and the Taliban:
‘Both In One Trench: Saddam’s Secret Terror Documents’
http://www.bothinonetrench.com
January 25th, 2008 at 8:08 amBTW, the Iraqi Perspectives Project (google it) gave out this info about 2 years ago.
January 25th, 2008 at 1:33 pm