Pentagon deleted key comment from Rumsfeld transcript
Woodward 'surprised' by move
From Jamie McIntyre
CNN Washington Bureau
 |  Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld was interviewed by Bob Woodward for his new book. |
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 CNN's Jamie McIntyre on the the Pentagon's admission that it deleted a key section from a Donald Rumsfeld interview transcript.
 CNN's Carlos Watson on Bob Woodward's "Plan of Attack."
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- The Pentagon said Wednesday it deleted a key section from a transcript of an interview that reporter Bob Woodward conducted last year with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.
That edited transcript was posted this week on the Pentagon's Web site.
But a spokesman said Rumsfeld had been unaware of the deletions when he made statements Tuesday at a Pentagon briefing that turned out to be inaccurate.
At the briefing, Rumsfeld was disputing a passage in Woodward's new book, "Plan of Attack," alleging that Saudi Prince Bandar was told by Rumsfeld two months before the invasion of Iraq that it was "going to happen," and he could "take that to the bank":
"I don't remember saying it, to be perfectly honest," Rumsfeld said.
Woodward contends he got that information directly from Rumsfeld. "Don Rumsfeld is on the record, if you look on the Pentagon Web site, saying that he said, 'This war plan, you can take it to the bank. It's going to happen,'" the reporter said in a CNN interview earlier this week.
But he was wrong. The transcript of the October 23 interview posted by the Pentagon had been edited -- and that quote had been deleted with no reference on the Web site that any deletions had been made.
As of late Wednesday, the Pentagon transcript still did not have the controversial quote on its Web site.
Aides to Rumsfeld said Wednesday that he was unaware of the deletions until he was handed a note just before the end of the briefing, and that, in the confusion of the moment, Rumsfeld misunderstood what it said.
He then stated flatly that nothing relevant had been removed:
"I can say of certain knowledge that nothing was taken out that would naysay what I just indicated in my response to the question."
"No 18-minute gap?" a reporter asked.
"And you can take that to the bank," Rumsfeld responded, eliciting laughter.
Pentagon officials said the transcript was edited by "mutual consent" with Woodward after a meeting last Friday, because, they argued, the deleted section did not directly confirm Rumsfeld spoke to Prince Bandar or when the conversation took place.
Woodward denied he agreed to the deletion, and The Washington Post published the full text of the deleted section Wednesday.
"I was surprised that it was deleted," Woodward was quoted as saying "because it obviously dealt with a critical issue."
In a CNN interview, Woodward added, "It is inconceivable that I would have agreed."
Rumsfeld's chief spokesman said that, in retrospect, it was probably a mistake to have deleted a key passage from the transcript without -- as is usually done -- including a disclaimer that some material had been put off the record.
And he admits Rumsfeld should have been advised of the deletions before he faced reporters' questions.
But he insisted Rumsfeld did not knowingly make misleading statements, and disputed the suggestion Rumsfeld said anything to indicate President Bush had decided by early January to go to war.
He also insists Rumsfeld did not knowingly make misleading statements to reporters, and disputes the suggestion Rumsfeld said anything to indicate President Bush had already decided by early January 2003 to go to war.
