Scott McClellan hearings, liveblog: Part 10

By GottaLaff

Debbie Wasserman-Schultz: It's not the crime, it's the cover-up. The real crime was the way the war was sold. You say Bush believed in coercive democracy. Was there a conclusion to go to war at the outset, fit the facts to the ultimate end?

Scott: The facts were packaged to make the sale.

Debbie: You don't think there was deliberate deception?

Scott: As a whole... there might have been individuals... but I can't get in their heads.

Debbie: Bush, distorted or deceived?

Scott: He treated his war campaign as a political one. That's the big mistake that was made.

Debbie: You implied SOME didn't intentionally deceive? some did?

Scott: I can't rule that out.

Debbie: Who did?

Scott: No direct knowledge... But no sinister attempt to deceive the people.

Debbie: But you think it evolved into that?

Scott: The result was misleading.

Debbie: Bush, Card, Cheney knew there was no imminent threat? Distorted the facts?

Scott: The way we portrayed it wasn't "imminent" but grave... that argument was most convincing.

Debbie: did Karl Rove lie about Plame scandal?

Scott: Yes.

Debbie: Cheney?

Scott: Don't know.

Debbie: Rove lied about other matters?

Scott: Don't know.

Debbie: Who should be brought here?

Scott: On Plame? Cheney, go down the list: Libby, Rove, Fleischer... They should do it under oath.

Keith Ellison: Friendships damaged now? You could have made a lucrative living doing something else?

Scott: Yes. .. and I could have made money elsewhere, not on a book. The last 10 mos. were disillusioning, found out I'd been misled by Rove and Libby... and then the NIE came out... other events. [Q: What to do about this?] Oversight is very important... and a White House that is committed to transparency....

Keith: Daniel Levin... acting asst't. A.G. for awhile... Addington and Yoo's torture memo. Were you privy to any convos before this? Did you wonder about it?

Scott: No. I had to speak about them though, so some info was given to me. We had briefings with Gonzo... others... I trusted them to give me assurances on these issues... Looking back, I had some reservations that were said then.

Keith: Abu Ghraib: Did you think it started higher up?

Scott: The White House thought it wasn't higher up... just the few individuals, that was their attitude... Bush felt that way... Rumsfeld, no direct convos with him, nor Haynes... My info was what I said publicly... I didn't hear about getting to the bottom of it, maybe it was higher up.

Keith: Gitmo... privy?

Scott: Not direct discussions... I do talk to individuals with some knowledge of the issues... what the message is and what to share with the public...

Keith: Rendition... did the administration say what you should do to defend that policy?

Scott: We spoke publicly, but no...

Conyers: I'm impressed with your precision on incidents, names, issues today... Record will remain open for 5 days for you or the Committee to submit for the record.