No Amount of Money for These Vets
Some of the Gulf War POWs were tortured, mostly pilots. A judge awarded them
damages payable from the Iraqi funds now controlled by the White House, which
refuses to release the money.
On Tuesday, Veteran's Day, White House Press Secretary Scott
McClellan was asked why the administration won't permit former Gulf War
POWs to receive the funds awarded
them by a judge. This is a section of the official transcript,
starting about halfway through the press conference. Joe
Conason's Journal provided the pointer. (I've bolded the operative language.)
Q Scott, there are 17
former POWs from the first Gulf War who were tortured and filed suit against
the regime of Saddam Hussein. And a judge has ordered
that
they are entitled to substantial financial damages. What is the administration's
position on that? Is it the view of this White House that that money would
be better spent rebuilding Iraq rather than going to these former POWs?
MR.
McCLELLAN: I don't know that I view it in those terms, David. I think that
the United States -- first of all, the United States condemns in the
strongest
terms the brutal torture to which these Americans were subjected. They
bravely and heroically served our nation and made sacrifices during the
Gulf War
in 1991, and there is simply no amount of money that can truly compensate
these brave
men and women for the suffering that they went through at the hands of
Saddam Hussein's brutal regime. That's what our view is.
Q But, so --
but isn't it true that this White House --
Q They think they're is an --
Q Excuse me, Helen -- that this White House is standing in the way of
them getting those awards, those financial awards, because it views
it that
money better spent
on rebuilding Iraq?
MR. McCLELLAN: Again, there's simply no amount of
money that can truly compensate these brave men and women for the suffering
--
Q Why won't you spell out what your position is?
MR. McCLELLAN: I'm coming
to your question. Believe me, I am. Let me finish. Let me start over again,
though. No amount of money can
truly compensate
these brave men and women for the suffering that they went through
at the hands of
a very brutal regime, at the hands of Saddam Hussein. It was
determined earlier this year by Congress and the administration that those
assets were no longer
assets of Iraq, but they were resources required for the urgent
national security needs of rebuilding Iraq. But again, there is simply
no
amount of compensation
that could ever truly compensate these brave men and women.
Q Just one more. Why would you stand in the way of at least letting them get
some of that money?
MR. McCLELLAN: I disagree with the way you characterize
it.
Q But if the law that Congress passed entitles them to access
frozen assets of the former regime, then why isn't that
money, per a judge's
order, available
to these victims?
MR. McCLELLAN: That's why I pointed out
that that was an issue that was addressed earlier this year. But make no
mistake about
it, we
condemn in the strongest
possible terms the torture that these brave individuals
went through --
Q -- you don't think they should get money?
MR. McCLELLAN: -- at the hands
of Saddam Hussein. There is simply no amount of money that can truly compensate
those
men and women
who heroically
served
--
Q That's not the issue --
MR. McCLELLAN: -- who heroically served our nation.
Q Are you opposed to them
getting some of the money?
MR. McCLELLAN: And, again, I just said that that
had been addressed earlier this year.
Q No,
but it hasn't been addressed. They're entitled to the money under the law.
The
question is,
is this administration
blocking
their effort
to access
some
of that money, and why?
MR. McCLELLAN: I
don't view it that way at all. I view it the way that I stated
it,
that this
issue was --
Q But you are opposed to
them getting the money.
MR. McCLELLAN: This issue was addressed
earlier this year, and we believe
that there's simply
no amount
of money that
could
truly compensate
these brave men
and women for what they went through
and for the suffering that they went
through
at the
hands of
Saddam Hussein
--
Q So no money.
MR. McCLELLAN: -- and that's my answer.
10:15:13 PM 
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