CAPITOL HILL -- Two Republicans lawmakers who insist Iraq may have had weapons of mass destruction are pointing to a newly declassified report.

The document said coalition forces have found 500 munitions in Iraq that contained degraded sarin or mustard nerve agents, produced before the 1991 Gulf War.

Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., and U.S. Rep. Peter Hoekstra, R-Mich., cited the report in an attempt to counter criticism by Democrats who say the decision to go to war was a mistake.

"I think it says the idea that the president lied -- that there were no weapons of mass destruction -- is false," Santorum told Channel 4 Action News. "The president didn't lie. The fact is there were weapons of mass destruction and that these weapons were dangerous in the hands of Saddam."

But a defense official said the weapons were not considered likely to be dangerous because of their age. And Democrats said a report from the top U.S. weapons inspector contemplated that such weapons would be found.

---

Related Links:
More County News

---