GORELICK GATE: Gorelick Memo Exposes 'Feckless' Clinton Policy

Insight On The News ^ | April 13, 2004 | By Kenneth R. Timmerman

[joinedafterattack]

In a dramatic moment of his testimony before the 9/11 commission this afternoon, Attorney General John Ashcroft released a previously classified memo from 1995 that instructed the FBI and U.S. Attorneys around the country to ensure they had "walled off" overseas intelligence information from domestic crime-fighters. The separation between overseas intelligence gathering and domestic criminal prosecution has been widely criticized by both Democrats and Republicans on the committee for having helped make the 9/11 attacks possible.

"[T]he simple fact of Sept. 11 is this," Ashcroft testified: "We did not know an attack was coming because for nearly a decade our government had blinded itself to its enemies. Our agents were isolated by government-imposed walls, handcuffed by government-imposed restrictions, and starved for basic information technology. The old national intelligence system in place on Sept. 11 was destined to fail."

Ashcroft went on to explain the "wall" that had been erected between criminal investigators and intelligence agents was "the single greatest structural cause for Sept. 11 [successes by al-Qaeda]." He said, "Government erected this wall. Government buttressed this wall. And before Sept. 11, government was blinded by this wall."

Ashcroft then described the 1995 memo that initially established the wall, which later impeded the investigations of the 9/11 hijackers and their accomplices. When frustrated field agents complained to headquarters about it in August 2001, Justice replied: "'These are the rules.' ... But somebody did make these rules," Ashcroft said. "Someone built this wall."

Then the attorney general dropped his bombshell: "Although you understand the debilitating impact of the wall, I cannot imagine that the commission knew about this memorandum, so I have declassified it for you and the public to review. Full disclosure compels me to inform you that its author is a member of this commission."

The 1995 memo by then Deputy Attorney General Jamie S. Gorelick - now a member of the 9/11 commission - explains that the new rules dictated by the Clinton administration to separate criminal investigations from intelligence gathering "go beyond what is legally required." The Gorelick rules were meant to ensure that "no 'proactive' investigative efforts or technical coverages" of terrorist suspects be carried out on U.S. soil.

The result of the 1995 Gorelick rules, Ashcroft said, were devastating, and hampered the ability of U.S. intelligence agencies to communicate the identify of two of the 9/11 hijackers to law-enforcement agencies, even after they had entered the United States. That failure specifically contributed to 9/11.

[joinedafterattack]

What else can Gorelick testify about.

[Diogenesis]

---

"You think you are gonna ask me why I dared refuse repeat DOJ requests for investigations of dangerous illegal aliens.
You think you are gonna ask me why I arranged to stovepipe intelligence to make intraagency effective communication useless.
You think you are gonna ask me why I illegal aliens who were felons became voters for our Democratic party.
You think you are gonna ask me why I OK'd the use of stolen FBI files onDNC computers.
Following LBJ, your gonads are in my fist. Now go away. "

[Blue Highway]

Remove Jamie Gorelick

If the 9-11 commission is wanting to investigate and reveal the reasons 9-11 occured it needs to look no further than one of it's own members of the panel: Jamie Gorelick (Deputy Attorney General 1994-1997 under former President Clinton)

[Chi-townChief]

She looks like a real gore-lick.

[MizSterious]

Or, letting the crime suspect be a part of the jury. Outrageous.

[ladyinred]

This commission is joke, and dangerous for our security and the safety of our troops. What is the matter with these people, and why doesn't someone shut this down?

[AmishDude]

Do you know how hard it is to keep reminding myself that her name has 3 syllables?

[muleskinner]

WTF? She was transforming herself into a Young Reno? Behold the power of Janet Reno.

Ia!Ia! Reno F'thagn

[kcar]

GORELICK: The new mouth of the Potomac.

[rundy]

Not only should this "babe" be off the 9/11 Commission,

She belongs in JAIL !

Dick Morris just said (on Hannity and Colmes) she is the individual most directly responsible for 9/11. I agree!

[MinuteGal]

Hey, let Gorelick stay on the commission. When it issues its bipartisan report and if it attacks GW in any way, her finger in the pie will completely discount it.

If the commissioners cannot agree on a bipartisan report and chooses to issue majority and minority reports, any report she has her oar in will also be discounted.

She's in a no-win position and is dragging Kerrey, Bin Venasty and the others right down with her. I love it!

Leni

[Libloather]

The original Gorelick memo can be found at - http://nationalreview.com/document/document_1995_gorelick_memo.pdf

[Howlin]

On H&C tonight, Dick Morris said that Jamie Gorelick was t blame for 9-11.

[auboy]

When questioned after today's hearing about Gorelick's removal, Chairman Kean had the unmitigated gall to said that she was one of the best commission members. He also said (paraphrasing) that folks should stay out of the commission's business.

I screamed at him that it was our business. Kean's arrogance overwhelmed me. The Dems got the gold and we got the shaft.

[conservatism_IS_compassion]

Chairman Kean had the unmitigated gall to said that she was one of the best commission members. He also said (paraphrasing) that folks should stay out of the commission's business.

He's right; it's none of our business. The commission has been established by Congress and it can run as constituted and nobody will force it to change. OTOH talk radio will simply refer to it not as the "Kean" Commission but the "Gorelick Commission." Not as the "September 11" Commission but the "Cover-up Commission."

Its recommendations will be DOA.

[Carolinamom]

On LKL tonight Ben Veniste said that the Commission Chairman, Keane, had ASKED the commission members to go on TV shows. He also said that he had only gone on 10% of those that invited him.

FN said last night that the commissioners had AVERAGED 6 TV appearances each. The only exception to all this was Fielding.

[auboy]

He's right; it's none of our business.

Kean may be correct, technically speaking, but he's not right.

[ALOHA RONNIE]

.

Posted earlier today on Freerepublic.com =


Nothing happened in the CLINTON White House without HILLARY knowing about it.


"Whenever BILL CLINTON was away, or out of town, HILLARY sat in the Oval Office" =


...stated Author Chris Andersen in his bestselling book titled:

..'BILL & HILLARY: The Marriage'


Now we know why..?

---

And now HILLARY coughs up GORELICK =


'MORRIS: GORELICK U.S. Official Most Responsible for 9/11'

http://www.Newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/4/14/224659.shtml

.

[xkaydet65]

If Kean's arrogance overwhelmed you then you have a lot to learn about the Bluebloods who feel they, not you, know what's best for you. This is not just a Democratic disease. The country club Republican crowd, whether they be Jersey types like Kean,or the Long Island Gold Coast types of the past always knew best. You still see this with the likes of David Rockefeller. Though I do say, having met his brother Nelson, that Nelson was a blueblood with a connection to the people. The rest??? They're no better than the nanny state Dems.