King to see photos of slain bin Laden

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Peter King (R-Seaford) said Wednesday he'll go to CIA headquarters first thing tomorrow morning to see the photos nearly everyone wants to see -- of the slain Osama bin Laden.

But Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) said she'll take a pass.

The CIA Wednesday offered to show the photos to King and other members of the Intelligence committees in the House and Senate, as well as to Gillibrand and others on the two Armed Services committees.

"If the debate on whether he's dead ever comes up, I want to be able to say, 'I saw bin Laden dead. Firsthand evidence,' " King said.

He added, "Having lost so many neighbors and constituents to 9/11, and knowing so many of their family members, I'll get satisfaction. A very quiet satisfaction."

Gillibrand thinks the CIA's offer to members is "appropriate," her spokeswoman Bethany Lesser said, but added, "She doesn't need to see the photos to know what even al-Qaida has confirmed -- Osama bin Laden is dead."

The invitations went out to 114 members.

Sen. James Inhofe, a Senate Armed Services Committee member, said he saw photos of bin Laden's body at the CIA, making him the first member of Congress to take advantage of the agency's offer.

Inhofe said he spent nearly an hour looking over more than a dozen photos of Osama's body. The photos were taken at the scene and on board the U.S. Navy ship that buried bin Laden's body at sea. One of the photos was of bin Laden's head and showed what appeared to be the fatal wound, according to Inhofe (R-Okla.).

Technically, Inhofe isn't the first lawmaker to see a death photo. GOP Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, saw a photo of bin Laden's body during a May 2 visit to the CIA, just hours after the raid. With AP