White House: No one receiving reward money for finding Osama bin Laden

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney.

/ AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said on Monday that no one would receive the federal government's $25 million reward money for finding Osama bin Laden because no one intentionally directed U.S. intelligence officials to the al Qaeda leader.

In a press briefing on Monday, Carney said "as far as I'm aware, no one knowledgeably said, 'Oh, Osama bin Laden's over here in Abbottabad at 5703, you know, Green Avenue.'"

Carney said that the reward isn't given if someone "accidentally" provides the necessary information through the intelligence gathering process.

In 2001, the State Department offered a $25 million reward for information about bin Laden's whereabouts. In 2004, then-Sen. Hillary Clinton pushed for the passage of a bill that would allow the Secretary of State - the position she now holds - to authorize as much as $50 million as a prize.

At least one man has already begun angling for the prize money: Gary Brooks Faulkner, a 51-year-old American who was detained last year in Pakistan while setting out on a "lone wolf" mission to hunt down Osama bin Laden.

""I got off my ass. I got the son of a bitch out. He's dead now," Faulkner said in a recent interview with WLS Radio. "Whether it was by my hands or something else...You still realize that we lost total contact after he left Tora Bora. Nobody knew anything. He's in Pakistan, he's in Africa, he's in Somalia...he's everywhere else. People did nothing, absolutely nothing until I came on the scene, and that's a fact."

New York lawmakers have suggested that the money instead go to survivors of 9/11, as well as the families of victims.

Reps. Anthony Weiner (D-N.Y.) and Jerry Nadler (D-N.Y.) introduced legislation on Sunday proposing to direct the bounty to those directly affected by the attacks.

"If the bounty isn't paid, Osama bin Laden's victims should get it," Weiner said, according to Politico.

The money, Nadler added, "was allocated for 9/11 victims in effect, and this is simply, saying use it more effectively for the purpose that it was set up in the first place."

[endrepubs]

The victims of 9/11 have been VERY well compensated financially for their losses. Besides, I always heard money couldn't replace a loved one right? So the money should just stay with the gov to reduce debt.

[reluctantzealot]

How about we just not spend that money and it will be one less debt tacked onto the backs of the little kids in school.

Sheesh.... IT'S NOT MONEY WE HAVE, WE WILL HAVE TO BORROW IT TO GIVE IT TO ANYONE...

Use your brains people. We don't have savings to spend, we are talking about raising the national debt limit yet again!!!!!

[askagain]

Darwinbull's suggestion of using the reward money is a great idea. That is money we taxpayers would be paying as a reward and should be either refunded to the taxpayers or used to reduce the deficit. Although losing a loved one is a horrible loss, some people received generous amounts of money from the taxpayers.

[dickkahrs]

I agree; use the money to reduce the deficit!

[biteingdog]

even though osama and obama have similar names the bounty or reward money should not be given to the obama reelection campaign.....our migger destroys jobs --------------the nuslim destroyed lives------one got his justice----the other deserves his

[doubt1]

Give the money to the Navy Seals who risked it all to fulfill the mission of the Most Wanted poster. I'm sure they and their families can use it.

[tsigili]

Obama will take great delight in squandering that money on something less beneficial.

[unclebernies]

Give the money to planned parenthood or something.

[khill9702]

I didn't think it could be done but Barack Obama has found a press secretary nerdier than Robert Gibbs. Where does he find these Poindexters?

[ludvig1-2009]

Excuse me I meant Osama.

[darwinbull]

Don't worry kluzer12, Obama's failures are ever before us every time we fill up at the pump or talk to a friend who is out of work.

[thechooch1]

darwinbull yes recovering from w's Great Recession is a tough and long job. Did you notice the almost one quarter million jobs created last month or that the price of gas was down today?

[darwinbull]

Don't get me started please. Obama had two years w/ a majority congress. He had plenty of time to deal with the whole oil issue and jobs. He isn't even an oil man and prices are as high as when George W. Bush was in office. If jobs are created they are government jobs so all it does is make government bigger. That should help... not.

[ludvig1-2009]

No one gets the reward? Didn't they see my blog where I said that I was positively certain that Obama or one of his people just might possibly be hiding in Pakistan. Show me the money! I promise to spend it wisely after making all the appropriate campaign contributions.