At least celebrated investigative journalist Jake Tapper admits that the Obama videos depicting sarin attacks in Syria, released by CNN 8 p.m, last night could not be verified for authenticity.
CNN cannot independently verify the authenticity of these videos but we’re reporting on them because we have verified the Obama administration is showing them to members of congress as they hope to build a case to support military strikes against the Assad regime.” (CNN, Sept. 7, 2013).
If CNN cannot independently verify the authenticity of these videos, then why are they showing them?
Some 13 videos graphically depicting the gruesome Sarin attack in Syria make up the White House compilation video turned over to CNN, even though many of them had been previously posted on YouTube. But Tapper points out that the CNN collection of footage is “significant” because the Intelligence Community has given it a stamp of authenticity.
More significantly, the video images CNN described as “hard-to-stomach” were already shown by the Obama administration to a select group of senators in closed-door briefings to make the case that a limited military attack on Syria is justified.
In other words, a “select group of senators” were shown the videos on Thursday, but the television and Internet world got to release them two days later on Saturday.
