Lawmakers clash on Iraq at hearing
Myers questioned about Chalabi raid
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WASHINGTON (CNN) -- As Pentagon generals looked on, lawmakers clashed at a House hearing on Iraq Friday, sparring over the prisoner abuse controversy and recent criticism of President Bush.
Rep. Duncan Hunter, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said the hearing was convened to talk about ongoing military operations in Iraq. The California Republican said the scandal over the Abu Ghraib prison had distracted attention from the overall mission.
"We must not forget that there is a war on and our troops are in the thick of it," Hunter said.
But as the hearing progressed, lawmakers returned to the prisoner abuse investigations and squabbled on other matters.
Rep. Jeff Miller, R-Florida, started his questioning of Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, by referring to House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi's criticism of President Bush's competence.
"I can't help but wonder what in the world this person is thinking," Miller said. "If she would just attend just one of these hearings and listen to what is being said by those that are prosecuting this war on terror and spend less time trying to bash those who are trying to protect this country, she might learn a thing or two."
Rep. Ellen Tauscher, D-California, responded angrily.
"I sat here and listened to you attack the leader of my party, who I think asked some very serious and sobering questions, and if you are going to turn this into a political meeting, perhaps you should leave this building to do that," she said.
Separately, Rep. Kendall Meek, D-Florida, had a lengthy exchange with Hunter, when he complained that the committee was not spending enough time on the prisoner abuse matter.
"I don't know where you were, but we've had more hearings, open and closed, on this one subject than any other issue that has been before this committee," Hunter said.
Myers -- who did not respond to the lawmakers' bickering -- appeared alongside Gen. Peter Schoomaker, Army chief of staff, and Gen. Michael Hagee, commandant of the Marine Corps.
Interrogation techniques
After the hearing, Myers told reporters that interrogation techniques approved by top generals in the Iraq war were humane and followed the Geneva Conventions.
"Nothing was ever approved officially by anybody to the best of my knowledge that was not humane and in accordance with the Geneva Conventions," said Myers. And, he said, what was approved applied to everyone in the region with no exceptions.
Myers said he had not yet seen a new batch of photographs of U.S. soldiers apparently abusing Iraqi prisoners that was printed in the Washington Post Friday.
Myers added that several investigations -- including one into possible military intelligence participation in the abuses at Abu Ghraib prison -- were proceeding as quickly as possible.
"We've got to let them play out and make sure this is not a systemic problem," he said.
Iraqi raid
In a related development, one congressman raised questions at the hearing about Thursday's raid and search of Iraqi Governing Council member Ahmed Chalabi's compound.
Rep. Jim Cooper, D-Tennessee, called the allegation that Chalabi misled U.S. officials "one of most disturbing developments of the war."
Cooper held up a copy of Friday's New York Times that featured a front-page photo of Chalabi just behind first lady Laura Bush during the State of the Union address in January.
"This seems to be a substantial development in the war, when one of the most highly paid and trusted advisers may have deliberately misled our nation for months and years and some of our officials may have swallowed it hook, line and sinker," Cooper said.
Cooper asked Myers about what prompted the raid and who ordered it.
"The information that I have is that it was ordered by the minister of Interior, that it was carried out by the Iraqi Police Service, that U.S. forces, or coalition forces, provided an outer cordon so they weren't involved in going into the facilities," Myers said.
Cooper said that until last week, the United States was paying hundreds of thousands of dollars each month to Chalabi and his organization.
"If this man was on the U.S. payroll until last week, what has changed in the last few days to make him subject of a raid of this type?" Cooper asked.
"That I can't tell you," Myers said. "What I can tell you is the organization that he is associated with has provided intelligence to our intelligence unit there in Baghdad that has saved soldiers' lives."
