Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Shocking: Boehner Agrees With Obama On Not Releasing Bin Laden Corpse Photo
By
Jen Chung
Published May 5, 2011
Modified May 5, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
Jen Chung
Published May 5, 2011
Modified May 5, 2011
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
House Majority Leader John Boehner (R-Ohio) doesn't often agree with President Obama but he backed up the White House's decision not to release the photograph of Osama bin Laden's body. Speaking today, he said, "I support the decision by the president that they should not be disclosed, they’ve got more information available to them, in terms of its impact, but I think that they’ve made a responsible decision."
Yesterday, in an excerpt of a 60 Minutes interview that will air on Sunday, President Obama said the photograph that reportedly shows Bin Laden with a gunshot wound in his head (between his eyes) would remain under wraps, "That's not who we are. We don't trot this stuff out as trophies. We don't need to spike the football." Plus, there are concerns that the photograph would be inflammatory.
Some Senators have reportedly seen an "unofficial" photograph showing that Bin Laden is dead, which suggests that someone will leak it at some point. Reuters released photographs of other men killed in Bin Laden's Abbottabad compound—warning, these pictures, which come towards the end of the slide show, are extremely graphic.
Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) claims that it's a "mistake" not to show the photographs, but in the past, he's been opposed to showing photographs of Abu Ghraib prison abuse. Former Republican vice-presidential candidate Sarah Palin piped up on Twitter, "Show photo as warning to others seeking America's destruction. No pussy-footing around, no politicking, no drama;it's part of the mission." And even Jon Stewart made a point about why the pictures should be released on the Daily Show last night:
The Daily Show
Tags: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook
Tagged
deather
graphic photographs
john boehner
lindsay graham
Osama bin Laden
president obama
proof
sarah palin
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Coney Island's small, 1890s lighthouse may be landmarked by the city
It's in the private community of Sea Gate. Family members of the lighthouse's last civilian keeper are keeping its history alive.
By
Catalina Gonella
Published Oct 20, 2026 at 4:41 p.m. ET
New renderings are out for Queens' Metropolitan Park casino
The city's Public Design Commission taking a look at what's in store.
By
Willow Higgins
News
New renderings are out for Queens' Metropolitan Park casino
The city's Public Design Commission taking a look at what's in store.
By
Willow Higgins
Inside Luigi Mangione's legal strategy before his federal guilty plea
By
Samantha Max
NYC proposes crackdown down on AI customer service chatbots
By
Arya Sundaram
Early Addition: There's a new hot duck, this time in Queens
By
James Ramsay
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .