Manipulation of Iraq Intelligence "Inappropriate but not Illegal"

An investigation by the Defense Department's Inspector General -- called "very damning" by Senate Armed Services Committee Chair Sen. Carl Levin -- found "inappropriate but not illegal" manipulation of intelligence in the lead-up to the Iraq War. The investigation focused on the Pentagon's Office of Special Plans, headed by Douglas Feith. Feith called the Inspector General's report "quibbling" and "bizarre," adding, "The policy office has been smeared for years by allegations that its pre-Iraq-war work was somehow 'unlawful' or 'unauthorized' and that some information it gave to congressional committees was deceptive or misleading." One particular claim of Feith's office was that U.S. intelligence agencies were ignoring or downplaying links between al-Qaida and Saddam Hussein's government. No such links have been substantiated. The Senate Intelligence Committee is also expected to report on the Office of Special Plans, as part of its ongoing "investigation into the prewar intelligence on Iraq."