Carter: Rice Is Fibbing, Didn't Nix Hamas Meet

Jimmy Carter continued a war of words with Condoleezza Rice today over whether he was officially warned against meeting with Hamas leaders last week—insisting through reps that, “perhaps inadvertently, she is continuing to make a statement that is not true.” The Secretary of State said yesterday a top diplomat counseled Carter against the summit—but the ex-president begs to differ, Reuters reports.

Said a Carter Center statement, “No one in the State Department or any other department … even suggested that he not meet with Syrian President Assad or leaders of Hamas.” Carter had a “very pleasant discussion” pre-trip with a State official who “never made any of the negative or cautionary comments” Rice has been outlining. (More Jimmy Carter stories.)