Iraqi politician Ahmed Chalabi, whose home and offices were raided last month by Iraqi police and U.S. forces, talks to MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough Monday about the U.S. handover in Iraq on “Scarborough Country,” 10-11 p.m. ET. Chalabi is also the an Iraqi National Congress Leader. Following are excerpts of tonight’s interview.
On handover
CHALABI: This is a great day, Iraq is a sovereign state once again. We are happy that the occupation has ended. The occupation was a mistake and this is one year too late, the events of today. We should have had that one year ago.
On the raid on his home and office
CHALABI: The CIA has been trying to blacken my name and work against me for many years now. They won after the Pentagon lost an argument, they lost moral authority after the Abu Ghraib incident so they just took this opportunity to try and hurt me and the CPA complied...accepted this and they attacked my home and my office but of course this is irrelevant now because in Iraq the situation is very clear now. People know that I am an Iraqi patriot first and foremost and all my political work has been enhanced considerably as the result of this ill-advised raid on my home and my office.
On intelligence and the INC
CHALABI: With the departure of Tenet from the CIA the facts are coming out. For example, the quality of the intelligence at the INC had obtained and made available to the Iraqi state government has become available to the US government, is becoming available now. Many people in the Pentagon have testified in Congress that the INC and the information provided by the INC saved American lives, American soldiers’ lives. This is excellent that they are saying this now.