Clarke: Rice Testimony Bolstered My Claims

April 8 -- National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice repeatedly told the 9/11 commission today that there was no "silver bullet" that could have averted the deadly Sept. 11 terror attacks on America.

But former counterterrorism czar Richard Clarke, who is also an ABCNEWS consultant, said he tried to warn the president of the imminent threat of al Qaeda. He testified during the Sept. 11 commission's public hearings that the Bush administration paid too much attention to Iraq and underestimated the threat from al Qaeda, before and after the Sept. 11 attacks.

After Rice's three-hour testimony concluded, ABCNEWS' Peter Jennings asked Clarke what he thought about Rice's testimony before the commission.

The following is an unedited, uncorrected transcript of Clarke's interview with ABCNEWS' Peter Jennings as it aired on Thursday, April 8, 2004:

Jennings: Now let's talk a little bit about Richard Clarke. Even if you heard only a little of the testimony today, much of the testimony centered on the testimony of Dr. Clarke. Dr. Rice, you heard comment on it. She certainly contradicted it insome cases.

Mr. Clarke is an adviser to ABCNEWS on the subject of terrorismand has been for many months.I don't think we necessarily expected that he was going to make the kind of news that he did when he appeared before thiscommission, but we — you will recall that when he testified before the commission, the Bush administration took ample opportunity to attack in a very public, very widespread way whathe had said before the commission.

So in trying to understand some of the truth and the facts aboutthis commission today, we've asked Dr. Clarke, who, as I said, has been a paid consultantto ABCNEWS over many months, tocome back and try to answer a couple questions about what he has heard today and he is in Boston.Mr. Clarke, can you hear me?

Clarke: Yes, Peter, I can.

Jennings: I just want to ask you, you heard people using your testimony in a variety of different ways.