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White House Daily Briefing, October 26, 2000
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary

October 26, 2000

PRESS BRIEFING BY JAKE SIEWERT

The James S. Brady Press Briefing Room

1:45 P.M. EDT

Q: Jake, a defense intelligence analyst resigned yesterday, and there's several reports now that the NSA sent out a warning about a potential terrorist attack. Based on what the President has been briefed about the USS Cole attack, does he believe that the intelligence community in any way dropped the ball in alerting various military assets in the region that a terrorist attack was coming? Does he have any particular message to send to the victims' families that they should not fear that the intelligence community dropped the ball?

MR. SIEWERT: Well, as I think I said yesterday or the day before, I don't think it's appropriate for me to comment on intelligence matters. The Pentagon is conducting a review in this area, and we'll wait to see the full results of that review before making any final judgments.

Q: And there was no specific intelligence on the Cole?

Q: Osama bin Laden is calling a holy war or Jihad against the United States and the region now. He's talking the same language as the military dictator of Pakistan, because he also told the New York Times in an interview and an advertisement in the India Globe that the holy war or Jihad against India. And Osama Bin Laden calling the same thing. So do you see any of these terrorist groups are playing the same games in the region?

MR. SIEWERT: I'd have to look at what the Prime Minister of Pakistan said, General Musharraf, President Musharraf, before I make any comment on that particular --

END 2:17 P.M. EDT

Thursday, October 26, 2000
Senator: Intelligence expert
quit after warnings not heeded

By Sandra Jontz
Washington bureau

WASHINGTON — A top Pentagon terrorist intelligence expert who had warned of possible threats against U.S. forces in the Persian Gulf quit his job the day after the deadly attack on the USS Cole, a Senate Armed Services Committee lawmaker said Wednesday.

At a hearing that delved into the Oct. 12 attack on the Navy destroyer in the Yemeni port of Aden, which killed 17 sailors and wounded 39 others, Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kan., said the official quit in protest because his superiors ignored warnings he had shared with them before the bombing.

During the hearing, lawmakers and military witnesses spoke cagily of the investigator’s letter detailing his warnings. The committee members sealed the letter and declined to identify him.

The investigator worked in the Defense Intelligence Agency’s office of counterterrorism analysis and reportedly testified recently for six hours before the Senate Intelligence Committee. That testimony was to be discussed Wednesday by the Senate Armed Services Committee in a closed session.

Roberts said the letter and additional reports, primarily from the State Department, seemed to provide "enough red flags to at least call into question the decision to stop in Aden to refuel."