Gorelick Licked

The American Spectator ^ | 4.14.04 | Wlady Pleszczynski

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Gorelick Licked

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Published 4/14/2004 12:05:12 AM

His testimony is likely to be overshadowed by the president's news conference, but Attorney General John Ashcroft served notice yesterday that he is one administration player not afraid at all to go on offense against the Democratic louts on the so-called 9/11 commission. The full effect of the bombshell he dropped yesterday afternoon will take some time to settle. "The single greatest structural cause for September 11 was the wall that segregated criminal investigators and intelligence agents," he said in his stirring and air-clearing opening remarks. "Government erected this wall. Government buttressed this wall. And before September 11, government was blinded by this wall." Who built and reinforced this wall? Ashcroft pointed to Justice Department guidelines from 1995 that "imposed draconian barriers to communications between law enforcement and intelligence communities." It was a system "destined to fail." He pointed to investigations impeded by these rules, including efforts that might have nabbed three of the 9/11 conspirators weeks if not days before the attacks. Then he got to his real point. The commission itself may not have known of the 1995 memorandum that laid out these guidelines -- "so I have declassified it for you and the public to review," Ashcroft told the commission. Next, the dagger: "Full disclosure compels me to inform you that its author is a member of this Commission." Ashcroft did not need to name names for all to know that he had just outed Jamie Gorelick, the long-time number two in the Clinton Justice Department and one of the most transparently partisan Democrats on the 9/11 commission. Not only did Ashcroft add to the growing pressure on Gorelick to testify before the commission rather than serve on it, specifically about what she and the administration she served failed to do about terrorism. Above all, he discredited her in the eyes of her fellow commissioners. Clearly she had never informed them of this memorandum. Now they were caught by surprise and made to look foolish. One could detect the power of Ashcroft's bombshell in the subsequent questioning. Richard Ben-Veniste's edge turned to smarm. He greeted the two surprise guests who had accompanied Ashcroft to the hearing, his respected former deputy Larry Thompson and Solicitor General Ted Olson. Ben-Veniste referred to him as "Mr. Olson," and offered renewed condolences on the death of Barbara Olson on 9/11. With Olson on Ashcroft's side, there was no way he could look bad. Ben-Veniste's only pointed question proved an embarrassment, repeating as it did morning press stories fed by Democrat leaks to the effect that Ashcroft would be asked about why he had started flying in government planes and not commercially before 9/11. When Ashcroft replied that all his personal flying had continued to be done commercially, as was his wife's, Ben-Veniste was left red-faced, grasping at a dwindling number of straws. But he couldn't have been more red-faced than Gorelick. Initially she tried mouthing denials to fellow commissioners that she was author of the memo. But when a copy was handed to her, listing her as initialed author, she had nowhere to hide. Her round of questions came last. Unlike Bob Kerrey, say, who was cordial with Ashcroft and even said it was good to see the AG "on the mend" after his recent hospitalization and operation, Gorelick established no human contact during her half-hearted queries -- none of which engaged the central point of Ashcroft's opening statement. The Democrats wanted to play hardball, but ended up clubbed on the head themselves. Wlady Pleszczynski is executive editor of The American Spectator and editor of its website.

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[InvisibleChurch]

tee hee

[auboy]

Jamie Gorelick, affirmative action in action.

And the Peter Principle in principle.

[maggief]

Did Clinton appointee corrupt Flight 800 probe?

---

Posted: April 12, 2003
1:00 a.m. Eastern


© 2003 WorldNetDaily.com


On July 1, Jamie Gorelick will leave her position as vice chairman of the Federal National Mortgage Association to devote more time to the bipartisan National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States, more routinely known as the "9-11 Commission." Her appointment to this select ten-person commission has raised no eyebrows.

It should have.

As deputy attorney general, Gorelick played a key role in shaping – some would say "corrupting" – the outcome of the TWA Flight 800 investigation. Given what she knows, Gorelick could play an even more critical role in determining "prior knowledge" about the events of Sept. 11. But the question remains: Did congressional Democrats appoint Gorelick to share the truth or suppress it? She has the power to do either.

(snip)

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=32009

[Diogenesis]

Ultracorrupt Democrat Gorelick obstructing the 911 Commission:
"We Democrats own the Commission.
We Democrats own the schools and universities and the unions.
We Democrats own the media.
We Democrats even control the vote of the dead.
You bet that I personally dared refuse repeat DOJ requests for investigations of dangerous illegal aliens.
and I even personally arranged to stovepipe intelligence to make intraagency effective communication useless.
I even arranged for the illegal aliens who were felons to be voters for our Democratic party.
Ha. We even have John Aschroft's and each and every RINO's FBI file on our home and DNC computers.
So what are you wusses dare gonna do about it?
You water is my cup. Your testicles are in my fist.
So what are you wusses dare gonna do about it? Absolutely nothing. Now sit down "

[freeangel]

Of course, there was no mention of this in the atlanta journal crapstitution which used a reprint of a nyt article in its interpretation of the Aug. 6 memo. It didn't have the guts to print either memo and let the people read for themselves.

[sauropod]

I always thought it more than a little curious that Gorelick was on this commission. IIRC, I pointed out to you that w/ JG being on the commission, the previous administration has a chance to cover up its misdeeds.

I also find it curious that Ben-Veniste (Watergate creature and His Slickness defender) got a seat here too.

When I saw the makeup of this commission weeks ago, i knew this would turn into a pile of male bovine fecal matter. Proven right again ;-).

[sauropod]

IIRC it was because of Hillary's abuse of FBI files.

[NYC GOP Chick]

When I saw the makeup of this commission weeks ago, i knew this would turn into a pile of male bovine fecal matter. Proven right again ;-).

Yep, I've been saying the same thing for a long time. Not only the 2 miscreants you pointed out, 'pod, but also the very partisan Tim Roemer and Bob Kerrey, who pretends to be bi-partisan and has delusions of being the chairman.

I also believe it was a mistake to allow Kissinger and Mitchell to be pushed off the commission, and to have a lightweight like Kean in charge...if you can really say that he's in charge, especially when Kerrey has been strutting and preening around as if he's the chairman.

[Arrowhead1952]

Hey, did you check this thread? Interesting, to say the least.

[Auntie Mame]

Here's an answer to your question about the date on the memo:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1116962/posts?page=117#117

[tgslTakoma]

Here's one FR thread, with the memo: Gorelick Memo Declassified (Graphics of 4-page document)

And here's an FR thread, with Landmark's letter to the commission: Landmark Calls for Gorelick to Step Aside From 9/11 Commission

And here's a link to a PDF of the Gorelick-authored and initialed 1995 "wall" memo, thanks to National Review: 1995 Gorelick memo.pdf

And just for good measure, here's the link to the 9/11 Commission's "Contact Us" page, with phone, fax, and email info: Contact them, and tell them to remove Jamie Gorelick from the Commission, and call her as a witness

Yesterday, with Matt Drudge's headline article on the Florida Democrats newspaper ad calling for a hit on Rumsfeld, FReepers and others in the VRWC raised Holy HE!!, and helped that story to grow legs in major media and the Kerry campaign and the Democrats responded in the French tradition.

Today maybe we can do the same thing with the outrage over Jamie Gorelick's seat on a Commission that is investigating the events and government practices leading up to the September 11th terorist attacks; in which she played an active role, and as such - she should be the questioned, not the questioner.

[woodyinscc]

The hole card Woody, the hole card.

Just the first of many, President Bush is playing good old Texas Holdem.!!

[dead]

Great article. Bump.

[jaime1959]

I'm Lovin' It!

[bray]

Now would be a good time to float the TWA 800 memos! We people have the right to know what happened to those 300 people?? What did clinton-Lick know and when did she know it??

Pray for W and The Truth

[MamaLucci]

Why do you think it will break thursday?

[FBD]

bump

[cyncooper]

But he couldn't have been more red-faced than Gorelick. Initially she tried mouthing denials to fellow commissioners that she was author of the memo. But when a copy was handed to her, listing her as initialed author, she had nowhere to hide.

I was aware of Ashcroft's Gorelick memo bombshell, as I was reading the Live Thread though missed the actual statement, but I did not know the idiot actually mouthed denials. Too precious.

BTW, I did see and hear Ben Veniste ask Ashcroft about his airplane flying. I despise BV with the best, but I actually thought he was granting Ashcroft an opportunity to "clear the air" from the rumors that had been going around. Unbelievable that he was actually thinking he was asking a "gotcha" question. I now revert to my complete and utter revulsion for him--as I had before this exchange that I mistook as a wee step toward fairness.

[cyncooper]

I just remembered that the guest was Larry Sabato (I think). He was contemptuous of the commission.

My problem with Sabato was he compared the partisanship of the commission with Clinton's impeachment and said each was an example of one party trying to get the other.