Politicians across the political spectrum have been taking digs at Pakistan in the wake of Osama bin Laden’s death in that country, but Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI) offered up perhaps the toughest assessment yet from a senior lawmaker on Thursday.
In an interview with ABC News, Levin, the chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said he was opening up an investigation into whether elements of Pakistan’s government had foreknowledge of bin Laden’s location.
“I think at high levels, high levels being the intelligence service, at high levels they knew it,” Levin said. “I can’t prove it. I just think it’s counterintuitive not to.”
The Senator tied the issue to a review of billions of dollar in economic and military aid to Pakistan.
“Some of it is in our interest. Some of it seems to be, is not clearly in our interest, and that’s why the questions that we are asking the Pakistan government to answer need to be answered,” Levin said.
Benjy Sarlin
Benjy Sarlin is a reporter for Talking Points Memo and co-writes the campaign blog, TPM2012. He previously reported for The Daily Beast/Newsweek as their Washington Correspondent and covered local politics for the New York Sun.
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