"Gruesome" is the word Republican Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma used to describe pictures he had seen of Osama bin Laden's corpse.

Inhofe told CNN's Eliot Spitzer that he had seen about 15 photos of bin Laden's body, most of which were taken at the compound in Abbottabad, Pakistan where American forces shot and killed the Al Qaeda leader on May 1. Other photos were taken on a naval vessel before bin Laden was buried at sea.

According to CNN.com, the photos taken at the compound "showed brains hanging out of bin Laden's eye socket." The Atlantic reported that the photos taken onboard the naval vessel show bin Laden's body had been cleaned up.

Some have demanded that the pictures be released to prove that bin Laden was killed. The Obama Administration has declined to release the photos.

"That was him," Inhofe said. "He is gone. He's history."

Inhofe was the first lawmaker to take up the CIA's offer to view the photos of bin Laden's body. Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson of Florida is expected to see the photos on Thursday.

CNN reported: "Members of Senate and House committees that deal with intelligence and military matters have been invited to see the photos in the coming days, but they won't be allowed to take any copies of the photos." Inhofe is a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee while Nelson is a member of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

Inhofe said some of the photos should be released to the public. However, other lawmakers, including Nelson, do not agree with that position.