MATTHEWS: No. You gave me a challenge here. I think it’s a good point. I want to challenge it right back to you.
I have checked this out with everyone. No one denies this in the White House. The various people I’ve been lucky enough to talk to in the White House have made it clear to me that the reason the CIA sent Mr.-former Ambassador Joe Wilson to Niger was because the vice president raised the question and they sought to answer it.
If you want to quibble about who sent him there, fine. But they sent that guy down there to answer his question. Do you deny that?
GILLESPIE: That I don’t know. I know that you said that...
MATTHEWS: That is what I’m saying.
GILLESPIE: Well, what you said was that the vice president dispatched Joe Wilson. He didn’t. That’s factually inaccurate. I want to make the record clear about that.
But I also want to make clear, too, by the way, that the vice president was not briefed about this in advance of the State of the Union speech. Neither was the chief of staff, Scooter Libby, and I just think your viewers have a right to know that. So I think it’s good that we clear the record on that.
MATTHEWS: Let’s go through this, now that you’re clearing the record out, I’d like you, Ed-I’m going to ask you a question. Now I’m going to put you on the spot.
GILLESPIE: Sure.
MATTHEWS: What was the connection between the vice president’s query about the Niger arms deal, the possibility of an arms deal regarding Iraq buying uranium from Niger and the trip by Joe Wilson? What was the connection?
GILLESPIE: I don’t know, Chris. I don’t have an intelligence clearance.
MATTHEWS: You don’t know?
GILLESPIE: I know this, though. I know that the British intelligence agency continues to stand by...
MATTHEWS: Right, they do.
GILLESPIE: ... its assessment that the Iraqis sought to purchase uranium from Niger, and that that is true, and I say it on your air tonight. It was true seven months ago when the president stated in the State of the Union address.
MATTHEWS: Why did the vice president, if you want to get into details here, why did the vice president exclude from his sit room, his situation room presentation before the State of the Union any reference of the Niger information, any reference with regard to the possibility of a uranium sale to Iraq, if he believed it was true?
And if he didn’t believe it was true, why did he sign off on that sentence of the president’s State of the Union address? It doesn’t square for me. That’s what I’m trying to figure out. Why would the vice president say it’s OK for the president to say something that he wasn’t willing to say himself? Explain that.
GILLESPIE: I’m not familiar with the reference you’re talking about, Chris. I do know...
MATTHEWS: It’s the 16 words we’re talking about. It’s the 16 words we’re talking about regarding a nuclear arms deal with Africa, the very thing that’s been an issue now for two and a half weeks.
I’m asking you how could the vice president know that something was wrong with that document, as you pointed out, and not alert the president, in fact sign off on his State of the Union and let him make an inaccurate statement?
GILLESPIE: I didn’t point out-I believe you’re misrepresenting what I said, Chris. I didn’t point out that the vice president knew that that was wrong.
In fact, my understanding is that the vice president was not briefed by Joe Wilson as you asserted on your air, was not aware of that before the fact and learned of this change or this assessment by Joe Wilson after the State of the Union speech in the spring, is what was-is what’s been put out by the White House in their briefing. And I believe them, and so if you don’t, we have a difference of opinion.
MATTHEWS: No, we don’t.
GILLESPIE: You are entitled to your opinion.
MATTHEWS: It’s not a question of opinions. The vice president gets all this information. To say he doesn’t is absurd because he has to sign off on these national security issues when he signs off on the State of the Union.
Go ahead.
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