Udall views bin Laden photos, agrees with decision not to release them

Senator Mark Udall today said President Obama made the right decision in not releasing the bin Laden photos, saying the release of the photos could inflame jihadists and put the people in danger.

His statement:

Today, Mark Udall, a member of the Senate Armed Services and Intelligence committees, released the following statement after viewing the classified photos of Osama bin Laden. The photos were made available to certain members of the House and Senate after Udall called for the White House to allow Intelligence Committee members to see them.

“It was important for the administration to make the photos of bin Laden available to members of the legislative committees overseeing the intelligence agencies, and I want to thank the President for acting quickly on my request. This was not something I looked forward to. But I believe that by ensuring that two branches of the United States government have access to the photos, we have eliminated the potential that anyone could ever question – now or in the future – whether this terrorist has been brought to justice.

“After seeing the photos, I still agree with the President’s decision not to make them public. Bin Laden’s body is not a trophy, and such a move could inflame jihadists and put our nation and our allies at risk.”

Scot Kersgaard has been managing editor of a political newspaper, editor and co-owner of a ski town newspaper, executive editor of eight high-tech magazines (where he worked with current Apple CEO Tim Cook), deputy press secretary to a U.S. Senator, and an outdoors columnist at the Rocky Mountain News. He has an English degree from the University of Washington. He was awarded a fellowship to study internet journalism at the University of Maryland's Knight Center for Specialized Journalism. He was student body president in college. He spends his free time hiking and skiing.

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