As ranking Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., got an invitation to CIA headquarters this week to see the photos of Osama bin Laden taken after he was killed in Abbottabad.

He said thanks but no thanks. Here's his preparied statement:

“I have decided not to go to Langley to view the bin Laden photographs myself at CIA Headquarters.

I support the President’s decision not to release the photographs. These images are not necessary to confirm that the mission to eliminate bin Laden was a success.  Distributing these violent images would also serve no purpose for our national security interests worldwide. Our focus should be on preventing new threats to the safety of the American people.”

Do you think Smith was right to take a pass, or should he have gone to see the photos? Click here to comment.

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