(Editor's note: The office of U.S. Rep. Walter Jones, R-3rd District, issued the following press release Friday.)

U.S. Rep. Walter B. Jones commended former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell for his call for an investigation into the false claims by an Iraqi defector that weapons of mass destruction existed.  

“Curveball,” as the defector is now known, was the linchpin in the U.S. government’s case that Iraq possessed WMD. He recently bragged to The Guardian UK saying: "I had the chance to fabricate something to topple the regime. I and my sons are proud of that."

Powell is demanding to know why it was not made clear to him at the time before the Iraq war that the source for information on WMD was unreliable. The CIA and Defense Intelligence Agency are the focal points for most of Powell’s questions, as he claims they never notified the Bush administration. 

“I applaud Gen. Powell for demanding the answers to questions that could have prevented the deaths of thousands of American soldiers,” said Jones.  “I, too, am outraged that we were lied to, and those who are responsible need to face the repercussions.”

Jones sent a letter to CIA Inspector General David Buckley demanding answers, as the government owes the families of those fallen heroes an explanation into how our intelligence agencies allowed this clearly flawed information to make its way to top administration officials and Congress.

“I strongly urge my colleagues in Congress to join Gen. Powell and me in this effort for the truth.  I appreciate The Guardian UK for their coverage of this story and I can only hope the truth will be exposed.  A lot of bloodshed could have been prevented; a lot of lives saved.”