WASHINGTON, July 14 (UPI) -- Democrats are criticizing the White House and the CIA for refusing to give the Senate Intelligence Committee a one-page summary of Iraq pre-war intelligence.
The review was prepared for President Bush in October 2002, and summarized the findings of a classified, 90-page National Intelligence Estimate about Iraq's illicit weapons.
"Bush should stop hiding behind executive privilege and release the Cliffs Notes version of his intelligence briefing," Democratic National Committee Chairman Terry McAuliffe said in a statement. "It may explain to this nation why, despite repeated warnings from the intelligence community, this president stubbornly went forward with his plans for war."
In a 10-page "additional view" published as an addendum to the Senate Intelligence Committee's report Friday, Sen. Richard Durbin, D-Ill., said there is "nothing clearer" in terms of intelligence on Iraq than the one-page summary.
Republican Congressional officials have said there is nothing unusual about the preparation of a one-page summary for Bush, and cite executive privilege as a reason to withhold it from Congress.
