Washington (CNN) -- Despite mounting pressure from some lawmakers and public opinion, President Barack Obama on Wednesday decided not to release photos of Osama bin Laden's body as evidence of his death, White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said.
The decision settles the debate over whether to release the images, though Obama's choice is sure to garner criticism.
A senior Democratic official close to the White House told CNN that the president was "never in favor" of releasing the photos, even as CIA chief Leon Panetta made it sound like their release was imminent.
Obama felt that releasing the photos was unnecessary given the fact that so few credible voices have questioned the death, and that the conspiracy theorists would never be satisfied, the official said.
The decision not to appease critics with the photos came shortly after the president decided to release his long-form birth certificate to quell accusations that he was not born in the United States.
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton supported Obama's inclination to not release the photos, the official said.
House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer said he shares the president's view.
"In my opinion there's no end served by releasing a picture of someone who has been killed, and I think there is absolute proof that Osama Bin Laden was in fact the person that was taken into custody, was killed in the process in the firefight," he said.
But Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-California, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, said Obama made the wrong choice.
"I want to see them personally," he said. "I did three tours. I'm not talking as a member of the Armed Services Committee -- as a Marine who did three tours because of 9/11. As Americans we deserve to see them."
Earlier, two top senators involved in national security also said the photos of bin Laden's corpse should be released.
Sen. Carl Levin, D-Michigan, who chairs the Armed Services Committee -- and who has not seen the photos -- said the United States should wait to allow the emotions of people around the world who may be sympathetic to bin Laden to cool down.
"I'd let a little time pass so we that we don't play into the hands of people who want to retaliate with what obviously will be a sensational picture. I would not want to feed that sensation, so I'd wait days or weeks," he said.
Sen. Saxby Chambliss, the top Republican on the Intelligence Committee -- who said he has seen the photos -- said they should be made public right away.
"I think the question is, what's the negative that could come from it?" Chambliss asked. "One of these days they're going to be released; it's a question of whether it be now on our terms or (let) somebody else do it."
Chambliss described the photos as "what you would expect from somebody who's been shot in the head. It's not pretty."
The two men answered questions from reporters as they entered a classified briefing in the Capitol on the bin Laden raid with the CIA Director.
Neither lawmaker immediately commented after news of Obama's decision.
Republican House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers said he was against releasing any photos, saying that he didn't want to make the job of U.S. troops abroad "any harder than it already is."
"Imagine how the American people would react if al Qaeda killed one of our troops or military leaders, and put photos of the body on the Internet. Osama bin Laden is not a trophy -- he is dead and let's now focus on continuing the fight until al Qaeda has been eliminated," he said.
The risks of release outweigh the benefits, he said.
Obama's decision comes as a poll shows that a majority of Americans support making the photographs public.
In a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Tuesday, 56% of those asked said yes, the government should release a photo of bin Laden's body. Another 39% said no. The poll of 700 adults had a sampling margin of 3.5%.
The government has said it matched DNA to confirm that the body was bin Laden's, and most have accepted that news as evidence of the outcome of the operation.
Some groups, however -- including the Taliban -- have questioned the assertion.
"(President Barack) Obama has not got any strong evidence that can prove his claim over killing of the Sheikh Osama bin Laden," Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mojahed said. "And secondly, the closest sources for Sheikh Osama bin Laden have not confirmed" the death.
Those who support releasing the images say that it will put to rest any critics or conspiracy theories, while others say that the photos will only inflame jihadists.
According to a senior U.S. official, the White House has received three sets of photographs. The first batch, which clearly shows bin Laden's body, was taken at a hangar in Afghanistan, the official said.
The official described one of the images as a clear, but gruesome, picture of the al Qaeda leader's face. Bin Laden is shown with a massive open head wound across both eyes, the official said, adding that the image would not be appropriate for the front pages of newspapers.
The other photos include the raid on the compound and bin Laden's burial at sea, according to the official.
The decision settles the debate over whether to release the images, though Obama's choice is sure to garner criticism.
A senior Democratic official close to the White House told CNN that the president was "never in favor" of releasing the photos, even as CIA chief Leon Panetta made it sound like their release was imminent.
Obama felt that releasing the photos was unnecessary given the fact that so few credible voices have questioned the death, and that the conspiracy theorists would never be satisfied, the official said.
The decision not to appease critics with the photos came shortly after the president decided to release his long-form birth certificate to quell accusations that he was not born in the United States.
Secretary of Defense Robert Gates and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton supported Obama's inclination to not release the photos, the official said.
House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer said he shares the president's view.
"In my opinion there's no end served by releasing a picture of someone who has been killed, and I think there is absolute proof that Osama Bin Laden was in fact the person that was taken into custody, was killed in the process in the firefight," he said.
But Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-California, who serves on the House Armed Services Committee, said Obama made the wrong choice.
"I want to see them personally," he said. "I did three tours. I'm not talking as a member of the Armed Services Committee -- as a Marine who did three tours because of 9/11. As Americans we deserve to see them."
Earlier, two top senators involved in national security also said the photos of bin Laden's corpse should be released.
Sen. Carl Levin, D-Michigan, who chairs the Armed Services Committee -- and who has not seen the photos -- said the United States should wait to allow the emotions of people around the world who may be sympathetic to bin Laden to cool down.
"I'd let a little time pass so we that we don't play into the hands of people who want to retaliate with what obviously will be a sensational picture. I would not want to feed that sensation, so I'd wait days or weeks," he said.
Sen. Saxby Chambliss, the top Republican on the Intelligence Committee -- who said he has seen the photos -- said they should be made public right away.
"I think the question is, what's the negative that could come from it?" Chambliss asked. "One of these days they're going to be released; it's a question of whether it be now on our terms or (let) somebody else do it."
Chambliss described the photos as "what you would expect from somebody who's been shot in the head. It's not pretty."
The two men answered questions from reporters as they entered a classified briefing in the Capitol on the bin Laden raid with the CIA Director.
Neither lawmaker immediately commented after news of Obama's decision.
Republican House Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers said he was against releasing any photos, saying that he didn't want to make the job of U.S. troops abroad "any harder than it already is."
"Imagine how the American people would react if al Qaeda killed one of our troops or military leaders, and put photos of the body on the Internet. Osama bin Laden is not a trophy -- he is dead and let's now focus on continuing the fight until al Qaeda has been eliminated," he said.
The risks of release outweigh the benefits, he said.
Obama's decision comes as a poll shows that a majority of Americans support making the photographs public.
In a CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll released Tuesday, 56% of those asked said yes, the government should release a photo of bin Laden's body. Another 39% said no. The poll of 700 adults had a sampling margin of 3.5%.
The government has said it matched DNA to confirm that the body was bin Laden's, and most have accepted that news as evidence of the outcome of the operation.
Some groups, however -- including the Taliban -- have questioned the assertion.
"(President Barack) Obama has not got any strong evidence that can prove his claim over killing of the Sheikh Osama bin Laden," Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mojahed said. "And secondly, the closest sources for Sheikh Osama bin Laden have not confirmed" the death.
Those who support releasing the images say that it will put to rest any critics or conspiracy theories, while others say that the photos will only inflame jihadists.
According to a senior U.S. official, the White House has received three sets of photographs. The first batch, which clearly shows bin Laden's body, was taken at a hangar in Afghanistan, the official said.
The official described one of the images as a clear, but gruesome, picture of the al Qaeda leader's face. Bin Laden is shown with a massive open head wound across both eyes, the official said, adding that the image would not be appropriate for the front pages of newspapers.
The other photos include the raid on the compound and bin Laden's burial at sea, according to the official.
1 comment:
This is very interesting. May or may not be true. You'll have to decide for yourselves. Just keep your eyes open and balance the whole thing.
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