On October 15, 2003, Secretary of State Colin Powell was interviewed by Matt Frei of BBC Television:
“MR. FREI: Let me ask you about Iraq and weapons of mass destruction. Earlier this year, in February, you gave a presentation at the United Nations in which you talked about the imminent threat posed by Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction. Eight months later, we still haven’t found anything of substance. And now, one of your former senior intelligence officials in your own department is claiming that you basically misled this nation and the world in that presentation. SECRETARY POWELL: That’s nonsense. I don’t think I used the word ‘imminent’ in my presentation on the 5th of February. I presented, on the 5th of February, not something I pulled out of the air. I presented the considered judgment of the intelligence community–the coordinated judgment of the intelligence community of the United States of America. And the information I presented–some of which has already been validated by [Iraq Survey Group Supervisor] David Kay. And the investigation continues. We have found clear indications that Saddam Hussein maintained the infrastructure for chemicals–weapons of mass destruction. We found some evidence of them. We haven’t found stockpiles yet. The work continues. The investigation continues. There is an individual, I guess, who is going on a television show to say I misled the American people. I don’t mislead the American people and I never would. I presented the best information that our intelligence community had to offer.”
– Matt Frei, BBC Interview of Colin Powell, U.S. Department of State, Oct. 15, 2003