White House Gaggle

By Adam Sharon
March 31, 2005

President’s Schedule

The President received his usual intelligence briefings this morning. At 9:15 he will meet with members of The Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction. The President will then meet with cabinet secretaries whose departments will be impacted by this report. At 11:40, the President will make a statement about this report and then commission members will be available to answer reporters’ questions. The President will lunch with the Vice President and then meet with the Secretary of Defense this afternoon.

Intelligence Capabilities Report

The President looks forward to receiving the report authored by The Commission on the Intelligence Capabilities of the United States Regarding Weapons of Mass Destruction, Press Secretary Scott McClellan stated. The report states that the intelligence community was "dead wrong" in assessing that Saddam Hussein possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction prior to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq. "The intelligence community needs fundamental change," McClellan stated. The President is expected to authorize a review of each recommendation put forth by the bipartisan commission. McClellan noted that the administration must consult congress within 90 days of the report’s release, but added most recommendations offered by commissioners do not require statutory changes. The President wanted an "unvarnished look at the intelligence community," McClellan stated. The briefer added that the administration is pleased with the timing of the report given that Ambassador Negroponte is preparing for his confirmation hearing. The President nominated the former U.S. Ambassador to Iraq to the newly created post of Director of National Intelligence. McClellan stated that the commissioners did "a very thorough job, reviewed case studies and interviewed hundreds of people." McClellan reiterated that the intelligence community must transform itself to meet the needs of the 21st century. The report notes that a systemic failure occurred in the collection and verification of intelligence material concerning Iraq’s alleged Weapons of Mass Destruction program. McClellan added though that Saddam Hussein’s regime was evil and that "we fought terror there [in Iraq] so we wouldn’t have to fight terror here [in the U.S.]." McClellan limited any further comments until the President delivers remarks later this morning.