Sudan?

Andy McCarthy over at the Corner notes that the Clinton administration cited the connection between Iraq and al Qaeda as justification for an act of war in August 1998 (i.e. the destruction of a Sudanese pharmaceutical plant named al-Shifa).

One of the stronger pieces of evidence that the Clinton administration cited was a collection of NSA intercepts between the plant's management (who, it was claimed, were really working for al Qaeda) and the father of Iraq's chemical weapons program. There is no mention of these intercepts in the recently released Senate Intelligence Report. In fact, there is no mention of al-Shifa or any of the intelligence about Iraq and al Qaeda cooperating on chemical weapons in Sudan at all.

I asked the staffers in my ten minute session with them yesterday why there was nothing about al-Shifa, or any of the intelligence connecting Saddam's chemical weapons program to al Qaeda's front companies in Sudan, in their report. I quickly pointed out that there was evidence from the Clinton administration's days, including Richard Clarke's (NSC) comments, on this relationship. I could have added - and I did mention one or two of the following - that others in the intelligence community [including Michael Scheuer (CIA) and John Gannon (CIA)], countless other reports from the intelligence community and in the media, and numerous officials from the Clinton administration pointed to this evidence as justification for an act of war in August 1998.

Their response?

I am paraphrasing only slightly: This wasn't part of prewar intelligence, we only dealt with claims of training in Iraq.

To which I responded: Why does it matter where this type of cooperation took place?

They didn't have a good answer.

If you want just a sample of the evidence on this, go here and here. To take a look at how some of the former Clinton officials now spin this set of intelligence click on "The Naysayer" link on the right-hand side of this blog.