As FAIR first reported, Brian Ross is a flat-out liar. And he thinks Americans are too utterly stupid to notice. Ross, with the help of Rhonda Schwartz, Hoda Osman and Avni Patel produced a Nightline story (2/15/06) claiming audiotape proof that Saddam hid "information about weapons of mass destruction programs from U.N. inspectors well into the 1990s."

In one pivotal tape-recorded meeting, which occurred in late April or May of 1995, Saddam and his senior aides discuss the fact that U.N. inspectors had uncovered evidence of Iraq's biological weapons program — a program whose existence Iraq had previously denied.

At one point Hussein Kamel, Saddam's son-in-law and the man who was in charge of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction efforts can be heard on the tapes, speaking openly about hiding information from the U.N.

"We did not reveal all that we have," Kamel says in the meeting. "Not the type of weapons, not the volume of the materials we imported, not the volume of the production we told them about, not the volume of use. None of this was correct."

Shortly after this meeting, in August 1995, Hussein Kamel defected to Jordan, and Iraq was forced to admit that it had concealed its biological weapons program. (Kamel returned to Iraq in February 1996 and was killed in a firefight with Iraqi security forces.)

Based on the information provided by Brian Ross & Co., the reader would naturally conclude that Iraq was hiding WMD info at that time - in 1995.

But that is nothing more than a BIG LIE. Why? Because after he defected, Kamel told UN inspectors that all WMD's were destroyed in 1991. From page 7, discussing biological weapons:

Gen. Hussein Kamel: The main focus was on anthrax and a lot of studies were done.

Smidovich: were weapons and agents destroyed?

Gen. Hussein Kamel: nothing remained.

Smidovich: was it before or after inspections started? [In 1991]

Gen. Hussein Kamel: after visits of inspection teams. You have important role in Iraq with this. You should not underestimate yourself. You are very effective in Iraq.

From page 13:

All chemical weapons were destroyed. I ordered destruction of all chemical weapons. All weapons—biological, chemical, missile, nuclear—were destroyed.

Kamel issued those orders - and they were carried out - before July 1991, when he resigned from the Baathist Party.

Brian Ross & Co. knew this. But they chose to "hide" that information from their audience - just as they accused Saddam of "hiding" that information from UN inspectors.

In other words, BRIAN ROSS & CO. LIED TO AMERICA.

Of course, this evil lie is infinitely more corrupt than any mistake Dan Rather may have made in his report on Bush's AWOL. So where are the rightwing Media Police now???

Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) blew the whistle on this lie, and they need our help:

ACTION: Contact ABC and ask why its reports citing an Iraqi official to bolster the idea that Iraq had WMDs failed to mention that the same official told weapons inspectors that Iraq's weapons stockpiles were destroyed in 1991.

CONTACT:
ABC World News Tonight
Phone: 212-456-4040
netaudr@abc.com

ABC Nightline
Phone: 202-222-7000
nightline@abc.com

Let me add these:

Brian.Ross@abc.com Krista.Kjellman@abc.com

Rhonda.Schwartz@abc.com

Hoda.Osman@abc.com

Avni.Patel@abc.com

I just sent them all this letter:

Hi Brian,

You lied to America about Hussein Kamel, and the proof is here:

http://www.democrats.com/brian-ross-lied

Will you promptly correct your error - or do we have to turn this into the biggest media scandal since Dan Rather's Killian memos?

I await your prompt reply.

Stay tuned...