Clinton 'never believed' al-Qaida-Iraq tie

In an interview with NBC's Katie Couric, former President Clinton said he saw no link between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida, contradicting the contention of his Justice Department in 1998.

Couric, in a segment broadcast this morning on the "Today Show," asked, "What do you think about this connection that Vice President Cheney continues to assert between Saddam Hussein and al-Qaida?"

"All I can tell you is I never saw it. I never believed it, based on the evidence I had," Clinton said.

He added, Cheney "may have some evidence I don't have."

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But in the spring of 1998, Clinton's Justice Department issued an indictment of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, prominently citing the terrorist group's agreement to collaborate with Iraq on weapons of mass destruction.

"Al-Qaida reached an understanding with the government of Iraq that al-Qaida would not work against that government and that on particular projects, specifically including weapons development, al-Qaida would work cooperatively with the Government of Iraq."

Steven F. Hayes, author of "The Connection: How al Qaeda's Collaboration with Saddam Hussein Has Endangered America," quotes an official familiar with the deliberations who says the inclusion of the Iraq-al-Qaida connection in the indictment was "not an afterthought."

"It couldn't have gotten into the indictment unless someone was willing to testify to it under oath," the official said.

The Clinton administration also made a case for the tie between Iraq and bin Laden when it ordered the attack on a Sudanese pharmaceutical plant in 1998.

As WorldNetDaily reported, former counterterrorism official Richard Clarke defended the attack in a 1999 interview by revealing the U.S. was "sure" the facility manufactured chemical warfare materials produced by Iraqi experts in cooperation with bin Laden.