[Congressional Record Volume 149, Number 80 (Tuesday, June 3, 2003)]
[House]
[Pages H4844-H4845]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         CONCERNING THE STAGED RESCUE OF PRIVATE JESSICA LYNCH

  (Mr. KUCINICH asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, was the dramatic rescue operation of 
Private Jessica Lynch staged for domestic propaganda purposes? The 
administration portrayed Private Lynch as receiving bullet and knife 
wounds, experiencing mistreatment by Iraqi officials, and being 
spirited away amid harsh enemy fire. But nothing the administration has 
said about Private Lynch and the circumstances of her rescue have been 
verified by independent news reports.
  Specifically, Private Lynch sustained no bullet or knife injuries. 
U.S. forces knew in advance of the operation, that no Iraqi forces were 
guarding the hospital. Iraqi medical staff treated Private Lynch 
humanely, even donating their own blood. Iraqi medical staff actually 
tried to deliver Private Lynch in an ambulance 2 days earlier, but they 
were fired upon by U.S. forces. U.S. forces participating in the rescue 
of Private Lynch were not fired upon by Iraqi forces.
  Last week I sent a letter which requested that the administration 
order the public release of the unedited footage taken by the military 
cameramen, and a letter follows. It is time to find out the truth. Mr. 
Speaker, I include for the Record the letter I referred to.
  The letter referred to is as follows:

         Congress of the United States, House of Representatives, 
           Committee on Government Reform,
                                     Washington, DC, May 30, 2003.
     Hon. Donald H. Rumsfeld,
     Secretary, Department of Defense,
     The Defense Pentagon, Washington, DC.
       Dear Secretary Rumsfeld: I am writing to request your 
     assistance in resolving the controversy surrounding the 
     rescue of Private Jessica Lynch.
       In the days following Private Lynch's rescue from an Iraqi 
     hospital by U.S. Special Forces, numerous U.S. officials 
     described to national media outlets the circumstances 
     surrounding this event. They portrayed Private Lynch as 
     receiving bullet and knife wounds, experiencing mistreatment 
     by Iraqi officials, and being spirited away amid harsh enemy 
     fire. Although U.S. officials requested anonymity, their 
     stories were widely reported without correction or 
     qualification by the Defense Department. Indeed, the 
     Department appeared to confirm the veracity of these reports, 
     releasing for reporters an edited section of videotape taken 
     by a military cameraman using night vision equipment. Indeed, 
     in introducing this clip, General Vincent Brooks, the U.S. 
     spokesman in Doha, reportedly said: ``Some brave souls put 
     their lives on the line to make this happen.''
       More recently, however, contrary media accounts have 
     emerged. At their core, these accounts argue that the rescue 
     was essentially staged. Specifically, these accounts have 
     reported that, in fact, Private Lynch sustained no bullet or 
     knife injuries. They have also reported that U.S. forces knew 
     in advance of the operation that no Iraqi forces were 
     guarding the hospital. They have reported that Iraqi medical 
     staff treated Private Lynch humanely, even donating their own 
     blood. They have reported that Iraqi medical staff actually 
     tried to deliver Private Lynch in an ambulance two days 
     earlier, but they were fired upon by U.S. forces. And they 
     have reported that U.S. forces participating in the rescue of 
     Private Lynch were not fired upon by Iraqi forces. Perhaps 
     the harshest account claimed that the Pentagon's staging 
     of this event was ``one of the most stunning pieces of 
     news management yet conceived.''
       As you can see, there is a wide gap between the facts as 
     reported initially and the manner in which they are being 
     reported now. As I understand the Defense Department's 
     position, these recent accounts are ``outrageous, patently 
     false and unsupported by the facts.'' At the same time, 
     Defense Department officials now seem to be qualifying their 
     earlier statements. For example, Bryan Whitman, a Department 
     of Defense spokesman, reportedly said ``the U.S. military 
     never claimed that the troops came under fire when they burst 
     into the hospital.''
       In this case, I believe the best course of action is not to 
     rely solely on omissions and gaps in past statements by 
     Department officials. Instead, I believe the better course is 
     to provide as much information as possible.

[[Page H4845]]

     Only by disclosing all the facts will the credibility of the 
     Defense Department be maintained. For this reason, I have 
     several questions I would like you to answer formally;
       Did U.S. forces encounter any Iraqi forces in the hospital?
       Were U.S. troops fired upon during the rescue operation? If 
     so, please describe specifically the nature of the 
     interchange.
       Did U.S. have any information suggesting that Iraqi forces 
     had abandoned the hospital?
       Did Private Lynch sustain any gunshot or knife wounds?
       Did U.S. officials have any information suggesting that 
     Iraqi medical staff were trying to deliver Private Lynch to 
     American forces?
       Did U.S. forces at any time fire on any ambulances?
       In addition to posing these questions, I would like to make 
     two additional requests. First, there has been a great deal 
     of commentary on the manner in which the Department edited 
     and aired a videotape of the rescue operation. Several media 
     representatives have requested that the full tape be released 
     so the American people can make an independent assessment of 
     these conflicting claims. I see no reason for the Department 
     to reject this request. Therefore, I request that you order 
     the public release of the unedited footage taken by the 
     military cameraman. Of course, if you have security or other 
     concerns, I would be happy to review the tape myself and 
     discuss those issues with you personally.
       Finally, I understand the Department has ordered an 
     investigation into the facts surrounding Private Lynch's 
     capture by Iraqi forces. I also understand, however, that 
     investigators were not asked to examine the circumstances 
     surrounding Private Lynch's rescue. In light of the 
     controversy that has arisen regarding this case, I suggest 
     that the Pentagon's ongoing investigation also include the 
     facts surrounding Private Lynch's rescue, as well.
       If you have any questions about this request, please call 
     my Chief of Staff, Jaron Bourke, at (202) 225-5871. I look 
     forward to receiving your response.
           Sincerely,
                                               Dennis J. Kucinich,
      Ranking Minority Member, Subcommittee on National Security, 
     Emerging Threats, and International Relations.

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