Rep. Robin Hayes – a Republican from Concord, N.C. – has been caught red-handed, lying to the American people and his constituents, apparently attempting to bolster President Bush’s assertions in a speech Tuesday night that Iraqis were involved in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. connection Hayes made the untrue statements on CNN:
[Hayes said] on Wednesday that the “evidence is clear” that Iraq was involved in the terrorist attacks against the United States on September 11, 2001.
“Saddam Hussein and people like him were very much involved in 9/11,” Rep. Robin Hayes said.
Told no investigation had ever found evidence to link Saddam and 9/11, Hayes responded, “I’m sorry, but you must have looked in the wrong places.”
Hayes, the vice chairman of the House subcommittee on terrorism, said legislators have access to evidence others do not.
Sen. John McCain, R-Arizona, said that Saddam was a dangerous man, but when asked about Hayes’ statement, would not link the deposed Iraqi ruler to the terrorist attacks on New York, the Pentagon and Pennsylvania.
“I haven’t seen compelling evidence of that,” McCain, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told CNN.
In a speech to the nation on Tuesday night, President Bush once again tried to make an imaginary connection in the minds of the public between the attacks on 9/11/01 and the war in Iraq. He mentioned the events of 9/11 five times in his half hour speech about Iraq.
However, last year the the 9/11 commission appointed by President Bush concluded that no evidence had been found that any “contacts ever developed into a collaborative operational relationship.” And “nor have we seen evidence indicating that Iraq cooperated with al Qaeda in developing or carrying out any attacks against the United States.”
President Bush said in September 2003 that “We’ve had no evidence that Saddam Hussein was involved with the September 11 [attacks].”
Nevertheless, Hayes insisted that the connection between al Qaeda and Saddam and “folks who work for him” has been seen “time and time again.”
