"The White House vehemently denounced a US newspaper report suggesting President George W. Bush insisted on the existence of biological weapons laboratories in Iraq while knowing the claim was false."

"On May 29, 2003, Bush proclaimed that the trailers, located just weeks after the start of the US-led invasion of Iraq, were long-sought mobile 'biological laboratories'.

'We have found the weapons of mass destruction,' the president said confidently at the time.

Two days before the president's statement, however, a secret Pentagon-sponsored mission had returned findings that the trailers were not suited for the production of biological weapons, according to the Post, citing unnamed government officials.

The claim was repeated by top administration officials for months, even though US intelligence officials had received the findings of the Pentagon experts determining that the allegations were not true, the Post reported."