Sen. Ayotte claims she has seen photo of bin Laden corpse

Sen. Kelly Ayotte said another Senator showed her a photo of Osama bin Laden, an image she says confirms the slain al Qaida leader’s death.

Ayotte, a Republican from Nashua, told Reuters on Wednesday that the photo was of bin Laden’s face. Another senator showed her the photo, she said.

Her statement came not long before CBS News reported Wednesday afternoon that President Obama decided not to publicly release photographs of the deceased bin Laden to prove he was killed by the U.S. military. Navy SEALs who stormed the Pakistan compound where bin Laden had been hiding shot him above the eye, according to U.S. officials.

Asked if the photo confirmed the identity of the dead man as bin Laden, she said, “My view, yes.”

– ALBERT McKEON