Waxman criticizes Gonzales

WASHINGTON — Alberto R. Gonzales misled Congress when as White House counsel he claimed that the CIA had approved information that ended up in the 2003 State of the Union speech about Iraq's alleged effort to buy uranium for its nuclear weapons program, a House Democrat said Thursday.

In a memo to the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, panel Chairman Henry A. Waxman (D-Beverly Hills) also expressed skepticism about assertions by then-national security advisor Condoleezza Rice that she was unaware of the CIA's doubts about the claim before President Bush's speech.

The committee's Republicans do not endorse Waxman's assertion, said Frederick Hill, spokesman for Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Vista).

Iraq's alleged attempt to buy uranium was one of the justifications for going to war. The claim has been repudiated.

Waxman said his investigation showed that the CIA had warned at least four National Security Council officials not to allow Bush to cite questionable intelligence that Iraq had attempted to obtain uranium.