Gorelick Licked

The American Spectator ^ | 4.14.04 | Wlady Pleszczynski

[hope]

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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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[Clemenza]

Jamie Gorelick, affirmitive action in action.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

I was in the car when I heard this and all I could say was 'Just damn!' Ashcroft brought his own MOAB!

Feels good to see a Republican do that!

[hope]

Greta Vanwhatever had Bob Kerrey and one other member of the commission on her show and they tried to sluff of the wall memo by saying that everyone has a reason of blame. They are banking on this not getting any play in the media.

[CatOwner]

"They are banking on this not getting any play in the media."

Given the majority of the media in this country, they will probably get their wish.

[PGalt]

Outstanding post. BTTT!

[Prime Choice]

Anybody else notice that it's declassified by "James A Baker".LOL Could it be?LOL

Where'd you see that? I missed it.

[hope]

no doubt.

[AGreatPer]

"They are banking on this not getting any play in the media."

This will NOT break on Wednesday. The left media is trying to supress it. But, look out for Thursday. The story just has too many legs to be burried. But they will try and supress it first.

[hope]

"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".

I'm hoping this will get some play also...

[sultan88]

Super post. Bump!

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

It's on the memo, bottom of the pages.

[B4Ranch]

9-11 Commission Members

Thomas H. Kean Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) member
Chair

Lee H. Hamilton CFR member / Trilateral Commission (TC) member
Vice Chair

Richard Ben-Veniste
Fred F. Fielding
Jamie S. Gorelick CFR member
Slade Gorton
Bob Kerrey CFR member
John F. Lehman CFR member
Timothy J. Roemer
James R. Thompson

---

Commission Staff
Philip D. Zelikow CFR member
Executive Director

Chris Kojm
Deputy Executive Director

Daniel Marcus
General Counsel

________________________________________

Note: Dr. Condoleezza Rice, President Bush's National Security Adviser,
is also a CFR member, as are:

Vice President Dick Cheney (formerly: a CFR director, member of the
Trilateral Commission, and former chairman,
president and CEO of Halliburton Co.)

Colin Powell, Secretary of State

Paul Wolfowitz, senior Bush administration official involved with Iraq War
(also has been member of the Trilateral Commission)

(also: former President George H.W. Bush was both a CFR director and
a member of the Trilateral Commission)





See a concise overview article about the CFR that follows. Showing the growth of CFR, the membership was 3,100 in 95 and now is over 4,000.
www.thenewamerican.com/tna/1995/vo11no10/vo11no10_tyranny.htm

[Reactionary]

By God, Ashcroft impresses me. He sandbagged a dozen liberals without blinking, without even batting an eye.

It was an absolute beauty.

[zip]

ping

[UnbelievingScumOnTheOtherSide]

The Murrah Bldg in OK city was blown up on April 19, 1995.
Exactly what date in 1995 was that Gorelick memo published?

The contents of the memo may have been secret but its existence was not. The date is Mar. 4, 1995. So, yes, you can lay Oklahoma City on it too :-)

Office of the Attorney General
Washington, DC 20530
July 19, 1995
MEMORANDUM

TO:

Assistant Attorney General, Criminal Division
United States Attorney, Southern District of New York
Director, FBI
Counsel for Intelligence Policy

FROM: The Attorney General [signed: Janet Reno]
SUBJECT:

Effect of Procedures Governing FBI-Criminal Division Contacts During FI/FCI Investigations on Specific Instructions Concerning Separation of Certain FCI and Criminal Investigations

The memorandum issued by me today regarding procedures for contacts between the FBI and the Criminal Division concerning foreign intelligence and foreign counterintelligence investigations does not affect the specific instructions, contained in a memorandum from the Deputy Attorney General issued March 4, 1995, governing the separation of certain foreign counterintelligence and criminal investigations. Those instructions remain in effect.

http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/doj/fisa/1995procs.html
(bottom of the page)

[danamco]

By God, Ashcroft impresses me. He sandbagged a dozen liberals without blinking, without even batting an eye.
It was an absolute beauty.


But Ashcroft is impressed of God and is His servant!

[Balata]

bttt

[nutmeg]

ping

[DaughterOfAnIwoJimaVet]

Excellent.

[DCPatriot]

This is good news...HOWEVER...it doesn't help unless the mainstream media are forced to acknowedge it on PAGE ONE and/or the TOP broadcast item of the day/week!

I know Rush will be talking about it tomorrow, but..that's "only" 20 Million people.

I want to see the affable Eva Braun, Katie Couric gag on it.