DENVER—Republican Rep. Mike Coffman is one of three members of Colorado’s congressional delegation eligible to see photographs of Osama bin Laden taken after his death but he has no plans to view them.
Spokesman Joe Megyesy said Wednesday that Coffman believes bin Laden is dead and doesn’t see the need to look at what he expects to be gruesome images.
“I’m a Marine combat veteran. I don’t have any fascination with looking at photos of gunshot wounds to the face,” Coffman said in a statement.
Coffman served in combat with the Marines in the first Gulf War and later in an administrative role in Iraq.
Coffman, Democratic Sen. Mark Udall and Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn are all eligible to see the photos at CIA headquarters as members of the House and Senate Intelligence and Armed Services committees. The Denver Post first reported on their invitation to view the images.
Udall and Lamborn both plan to view the photos but for different reasons.
Udall, who had requested a chance to see the photos, said having people from a second branch of government view them could help counter conspiracy theories that bin Laden wasn’t killed. He sees viewing the photos as part of his duty as a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee but doesn’t relish the thought of it.
“I’m not yearning or even excited about seeing the photos but I feel it’s my responsibility to look at them and assure the public that bin Laden was killed,” he said.
He backs President Barack Obama’s decision not to release the photos to the public. He said it’s possible the photos could be released sometime later, noting that classified documents are sometimes released decades after the fact.
Lamborn said he wants to see the photos to help him decide whether the rest of the world should be able to see them, using his own feelings as a barometer. He has said he’s not worried about the photos inciting violence but, if they’re too graphic, he thinks that could overshadow the message he thinks the photos could hold.
“I want the terrorists out there to know, whether it takes a short time or a long time, America is eventually going to bring them to justice,” he said.
Lamborn plans to view the photos Thursday morning, Blackberries and cell phones are to be checked at the door as is customary for classified document viewings.
