Colin Powell's Former Chief Of Staff Lawrence Wilkerson Claims Powell Was 'Manipulated' Into Making Case For Iraq War (VIDEO)

Lawrence Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Colin Powell, appeared on "MSNBC Live" tonight and discussed Powell's role as Secretary of State during the lead-up to the Iraq War. Wilkerson said he believes that Former Vice President Dick Cheney's office "manipulated" Powell into justifying the case for war and that "the Secretary of State was not told the complete truth." He went on to state his belief that the Bush Administration was "using" Powell due to his respected reputation.

A key moment in the interview comes when host Cenk Uygur asks Wilkerson about Powell's speech to the United Nations in which Powell made the case for war:

Uygur: Do you think the Vice President's office manipulated you and Secretary Powell into giving a speech?

Wilkerson: Absolutely. Absolutely.

WATCH (via "MSNBC Live")

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Comments

[hyman hackowitz]

03:37 PM on 03/29/2011

I like the man, but when you lie down with dogs, you get up with fleas.

[Sairam Jagannathan]

01:31 PM on 03/25/2011

Bush and Dick Cheney must be tried for War Crimes

[Dunkleberger Karl]

12:27 PM on 03/17/2011

"really Dick cheney had my wife hostage" "he Made me say those things infront of the UN"
 
I Feel soo Used Oprah, I felt like it was a Public Lynching!"
 
"there there general ,there there colin" "we girls have to stick together"
 
Would you like a kleenex? a tissue? Stedman, come on out and give Mr Powell a Hug!

[spkninglsh]

01:43 AM on 03/15/2011

Nope...you lied to the UN all by yourself

[Chuck Rewalt]

09:03 AM on 02/22/2011

Same old song and dance in politics.. Follow the money Brothers...

[josephbua]

09:47 PM on 02/20/2011

Every time Colin Powell sends Larry Wilkerson out to do his talking for him I lose a little more respect for him. Given how often it's happened I'm here to report I got almost nothing left.

[Thomas Nagano]

03:34 PM on 02/19/2011

For some, especially "Goverment Of [the] Past," they must be reminded this was a preemptive war, and the total cost by some estimates will be $ three (3) trillion Dollars by the time the last American Irqai War Veteran passes. (Not adjusted for inflation, obviously with inflation, the cost would be much higher).

But the War was not a complete waste...

“Thanks to the far sighted vision of Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and others, in the 50 years or so when oil is gone; tourists, historians and scholars will still be able to visit the looted Iraq
National Museum, the ashes of the Iraq National Library and the rubble of what once was the ancient fertile crescent [of Iraq], the cradle of modern civilization.

We also learned how much $ 12 billion weighs, 363 tonnes.

From the London Guardian. (circa April 2007)

In the year after the invasion of Iraq in 2003 12 billion dollars in nearly 281 million notes, weighing 363 tonnes, were sent from New York to Baghdad for disbursement to Iraqi ministries and US private war contractors. [Vanished]" - TK

[angus12365]

03:06 PM on 02/19/2011

Powell knew he was pushing lies. He didn't like it… but he didn't step up for truth either.

Sadly, he is our Albert Spear.

[mxytsplyk]

02:09 PM on 02/19/2011

Unbeknownst to us, his sample tested positive.

[Samie]

01:53 PM on 02/19/2011

Duh....Sorry, but I find it hard to believe, since most of us liberals figured that out in "real time" while it was happening. Powell must have known. It is more likely that he made a choice at the time to go with the flow.....mistake.

[Dunkleberger Karl]

12:28 PM on 03/17/2011

When he found out it was all a lie he hung around for another 6 months!

[deanleto]

11:20 AM on 04/08/2011

i agree.

I remember following every word, and then when he got to "obvious signs of chemical weapons being moved...." I said to the tv... point to it,,, show us.... and he didn't.

And right there I knew he was lying

[MisterCee]

01:34 PM on 02/19/2011

Sorry Colin...There was plenty of evidence out there that contradicted every lie that was told to you. You chose to ignore because you were on the war bandwagon as well. You can endorse Obama, become outraged at being lied to, but when it was clear that you were lied to, you chose to do nothing, nor did you say anything. You just went along for the ride.

[jymfrancais]

01:04 PM on 02/19/2011

Thanks J. Chirac for not getting us into this mess.

[gevan]

02:18 AM on 03/15/2011

He's got his very own mess to dwell in.

[jymfrancais]

09:56 AM on 03/15/2011

Now he does, at the time he did not.

[D-V-H]

01:00 PM on 02/19/2011

But Powell did not question the flimsy evidence he was given and asked to present to the UN.

Cartoons???? Really???

Don't apologize for this man. He deserves it not!!!

[Rosarita]

12:34 PM on 02/19/2011

At the time of the 2008 election, there was a lot of sentiment in this country for holding Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld and the rest of the neocons that lied us into the Iraq war accountable. The democrats were too nice. I remember Nancy Pelosi saying there would be no investigation into the war or torture because they wanted to move on and not get mired down in it. I am sorry now that they did not investigate and bring charges. Look at the horrible way the republicans have treated the Obama administration. They are working hard to bring him down while he is struggling to clean up the mess they left him. At this point, they have smeared him so much, it is too late to bring them all to justice for putting the country through all that they did. It's a shame. I knew they were using Colin Powell because the American people trusted him. Sneaky, conniving people. And they got away with it all and so many people have been killed and maimed for their lies.

[deanleto]

11:21 AM on 04/08/2011

when it comes to republicans...

ALWAYS kick them when they are down....

[hoocheekoo]

12:19 PM on 02/19/2011

I knew this when he gave his UN speech.