Congress To Introduce Bill Forcing Obama To Submit Detailed Bin Laden Raid Report

The Hill:

The House as early as next week could take up legislation requiring the Obama administration to submit detailed information on the operation that resulted in the killing of Osama bin Laden.

The Intelligence Authorization Act, H.R. 1892, argues that the government must compile information about the bin Laden operation to “memorialize” it, given bin Laden’s role in planning 9/11, “the most deadly terrorist attacks against our Nation.”

“[I]t is vitally important that the United States memorialize all the events that led to the raid so that future generations will have an official record of the events that transpired before, during, and as a result of the operation,” the bill states. “[P]reserving this history now will allow the United States to have an accurate account of the events while those that participated in the events are still serving in the Government.”

Under the bill, the CIA and other intelligence officials and entities would have to submit a classified report to Congress that describes the bin Laden operation. This would include “a description of the events leading up to the discovery of the location of Osama bin Laden, the planning and execution of the raid, and the results of the intelligence gained from the raid.”

While the Obama administration has won praise for the successful raid to kill bin Laden, the days after the missions were characterized by shifting stories over what exactly happened in the compound. For example, the White House initially reported that bin Laden was armed, and there were conflicting stories over whether a woman, possibly bin Laden’s wife, was used as a human shield.

The intelligence bill authorizes U.S. intelligence agencies for the next fiscal year, and was posted on the House Rules Committee website late Wednesday, a sign the committee could meet as early as next week to approve a rule for the bill, which would allow the full House to consider it soon thereafter.

The legislation would authorize FY 2012 appropriations for the CIA, Defense Department, Defense Intelligence Agency and other intelligence entities.

It also includes language requiring intelligence agencies to make publicly available assessments on the likelihood that terrorist detainees at Guantanamo Bay would return to terrorist activities if released. Along these lines, it would require reporting to Congress on the transfer or potential transfer of these detainees, which would include an assessment of whether the countries that would house these detainees are up to the task of monitoring them.