Defense Secretary Leon Panetta declines comment to Roger Wicker’s question

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta declines comment to Roger Wicker’s question

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said he was not trying to send a signal about Israel attacking Iran when he was quoted in a column last month saying a strike is likely.

He declined once again to discuss the column from The Washington Post’s David Ignatius when asked about it by Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) at a Senate hearing Tuesday on the Pentagon budget.

“No, I usually don’t comment on columnists’ ideas about what I’m thinking,” Panetta said. “It’s a dangerous game to get into.”

The column did not quote Panetta directly but said that he “believes there is a strong likelihood that Israel will strike Iran in April, May or June.”

The Hill
2/14/12