Reno Says She Inherited Al Qaeda Threat, Disorganized FBI

CNSNEWS.com ^ | 4/13/04 | Melanie Hunter

[kattracks]

(CNSNews.com) - Former Attorney General Janet Reno told the 9/11 panel Tuesday that the she inherited the al Qaeda threat with the first World Trade Center bombings when she stepped in as head of the Justice Department.

"We understood from early on in the Clinton administration that terrorism posed a grave threat to Americans on American soil...The bombing in the first World Trade Center case took place just before I came into office. I inherited that case. I had the opportunity to be briefed. I had the opportunity to meet with the prosecutors and the agent involved," she said.

She cited budget problems and a change in leadership within the FBI as some of the challenges the bureau had to overcome in tackling terrorism.

Reno said the FBI also had two systems that were being designed, but "they were overbudget and behind time."

Reno said she's proud of the FBI and commended the agents for risking their lives. "I have profound respect for all the people that I have worked with in the bureau," she said.

"But quickly when I came into office, I realized the FBI didn't know what it had. We found stuff in files here that the right hand didn't know what the left hand was doing. And it was obvious that the development of a computer system and a system of automation would be very helpful to it," Reno said.

"But it was also important for people to begin to look at manually what they could do to find out what they had and what they didn't have," she said.

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[kattracks]

We found stuff in files here that the right hand didn't know what the left hand was doing.

Since they knew this was the case, why didn't they advise the agencies concerned?

And it was obvious that the development of a computer system and a system of automation would be very helpful to it," Reno said.

So, if the clinton aministration understood the urgency, why wasn't this system developed?

[SkyPilot]

She cited budget problems and a change in leadership within the FBI as some of the challenges the bureau had to overcome in tackling terrorism.

Talk about a blame shifter! Sheesh!

Maybe if Reno got her snout out of a vodka bottle and her fingers out of the call girl yellow pages, she would have been able to deal with terrorism after 8 years on the job.

[OESY]

Reno: "Nobody told me about terror cells in the US, but we
in the Clinton administration fully briefed the incoming Bush Team."

[Preachin']

She cited budget problems and a change in leadership within the FBI as some of the challenges the bureau had to overcome in tackling terrorism.

Eight years!!!!

I'll give her a little credit, because her own boss cut money from the counterterrorism budget.

[gov_bean_ counter]

I dunno. I'm thinking her testimony is a bit shaky.

[Preachin']

If she'd put half as much time into killing bin Laden as she did on returning Elian Gonzalez to Fidel Castro, we might not be having this conversation today.

[ken5050]

Fearless prediction..before the end of the 9/11 commision hearings..someone will state that Waco was an Al Queda cell....

[conserv13]

I'll give her a little credit

Me too. you can't say she wasn't tough, just look at Ruby Ridge, Waco, Elian Gonzalez...

[mewzilla]

I LOVE Ramirez.

[mewzilla]

I don't know about Waco, but there was a cell in OKC....

[MrB]

No amount of passing the buck is going to change the fact that they had 8 years to fix it.

[nothingnew]

"But quickly when I came into office, I realized the FBI didn't know what it had....so I and the Penisdent decided not to tell the agency what they had, and do nothing for 8 years."

FMCDH

[MrB]

Elian Gonzalez -

Thank God Janet got that little terrorist deported before he killed anyone...

[Mr. K]

BUT DESPITE BEING SO DISORGANIZED THAT JANET RENO SURE COULD ROAST A BUILDING OF CHILDREN AND RELIGIOUS PEOPLE

[Lucy Lake]

"If she'd put half as much time into killing bin Laden as she did on returning Elian Gonzalez to Fidel Castro, we might not be having this conversation today."

Or, if she'd put half as much time into killing bin Laden as she did on prosecuting Microsoft, we might not be having this conversation today.

[nmh]

Would you accept anything less from a liberal? Irresponsibility is their credo. Of course, they did NOTHING about for EIGHT years!

[Neville72]

She was organized enough to authorize the attack on and incineration of a quirky religious group in Waco, TX, wasn't she? Darn, weren't they a clear and present danger to the American people?

Butch Reno gets my vote for the most incompetant, unqualified AG in American history. She was only there because the Clinton's knew they could control her when they needed to.

[nmh]

Reno was too busy killing people at WACO and sending a little boy back to Cuba.

[Spok]

She actually had her hands full doing the job Clinton had hired her to do, which was keeping the special prosecutor at bay and keeping Clinton out of jail.

[Preachin']

I forgot about Microsoft.