9-11 Hearings Get Partisan (prior to Ashcroft defending himself, the hearings were non-partisan)

Village Voice ^ | April 14th, 2004 9:45 AM | James Ridgeway

[dead]

WASHINGTON D.C.—Attorney General John Ashcroft yesterday opened a direct partisan attack on the 9-11 Commission, charging that one of its members is the author of a heretofore secret memo written in the Clinton years that prevented the government from conducting the type of investigations that might have thwarted events like the WTC attack.

Questioned about why he changed from commercial to government jets in summer of 2001, Ashcroft said the decision was taken on advice of his personal security team and "related to maintenance of arms," among other things. It was not related to any terrorist threat, he said.

In his revelation of the Clinton-era memo, Ashcroft was referring to Jamie S. Gorelick, a Democratic member of the commission and former high-ranking official in the Clinton Justice Department. He sardonically suggested the commission engage in "introspection" of its own activities. The Patriot Act, said Ashcroft, finally allowed the government to "tear down the wall" separating intelligence and law enforcement. He wants it strengthened to, among other things, include wider use of the death penalty.

Earlier in the day, Janet Reno, Clinton’s attorney general, contradicted this, saying, "There are simply no walls or restrictions on sharing" information.

According to a report by the 9-11 Commission staff released earlier today, the FBI’s problems appear to be more internal. Among other things, it said, "Given the poor state of the FBI’s information systems, field agents usually did not know what investigations agents in their own office, let alone in other field offices, were working on," said the commission staff. "Nor did analysts have easy access to this information"

Internal reviews of the FBI, the staff report went on, determined that as many as two-thirds of the people involved in analysis weren’t "qualified to perform analytical duties."

Finally, "Prior to 9-11 the FBI did not have a process in place to effectively manage its intelligence collection efforts."

Many offices didn’t even have surveillance squads before 9-11. "The FBI did not have a sufficient number of translators proficient in Arabic and other languages useful in counter-terrorism investigations," which meant, un-translated and unread intercepts were piling up. "Prior to 9-11, the FBI did not have an adequate ability to know what it knew."

[GottaLuvAkitas1]

(prior to Ashcroft defending himself, the hearings were non-partisan)

I do not agree. They were biased right out of the gate!

[oceanview]

this was something Bush should have done at least night's press conference - the first side to declare the commission partisan, gets to keep that position. Our side failed to make the claim, even though we know it has been partisan against Bush, so now the Dems will make the claim.

[ravingnutter]

Hey dead...check these stories out:

Yes, Clinton and Gore did abandon airport security planning for sake of campaign cash. But worse, they concealed the real cause of the crash, in no small part to justify that abandonment.

In fact, on the same day in September of 1996 that Al Gore sent the airline's lobbyist a letter signaling his intent to roll over, the National Transportation Safety Board reversed its spin and all but ruled out a bomb or missile strike [on TWA 800].

WND

In our book, "First Strike," James Sanders and I make this arguably prophetic comment:

John Kerry seemed to have his sights on Al Gore's Achilles' heel. After the events of Sept. 11, the story of how Al Gore helped subvert the investigation into TWA 800 and undermine airport security may yet prove to be a career-killer. Kerry's "slips" may have put Gore out of the race even before he got in.

Two weeks after advanced copies of "First Strike" started circulating around Washington, Gore withdrew from the presidential race. His withdrawal shocked Washington. It did not shock Sanders and me. We expected it. Kerry plays hardball, too.

While I have your attention, Chris, there is one other person you need to put on the spot. Her name is Jamie Gorelick, former deputy attorney general under the figurehead, Janet Reno. You probably know her. Last week, UPI reported that the high-level 9-11 panel on which she sits "was rocked Thursday by the bizarre revelation that two of its senior officials were so closely involved in the events they are investigating that they have had to be interviewed as part of the inquiry." One of the two was Gorelick.

WND

On Aug. 22, 1996, just a few days before the start of the Democratic National Convention, Ms. Gorelick oversaw a critical Justice Department meeting with the FBI. Immediately after this meeting, as it happened, all serious inquiry into the fate of TWA 800 came to an end.

On the next day, for instance, the FAA began to inquire whether any dog-training exercises had ever taken place on the plane that would become TWA 800. On the same day, as CNN reported, the FBI now claimed publicly for the first time that the explosive residue found along the right wing "could have been brought on the plane by a passenger and was not part of a bomb." Likewise, after the meeting, the FBI would do no more eyewitness interviews, at least not for the next two months. The Bureau only did a handful after that – and all of those for the wrong reasons.

WND

So Gore and Gorelick are in collusion?

[Wallace T.]

It seems the Bush Administration and the GOP congressional leadership made poor selections with respect to the Republican appointees on this commission. It has become a Democratic star chamber, amazing when you consider that the GOP controls the White House and both houses of Congress. Neither Rice nor Ashcroft should have been put on the spot (not that they didn't handle themselves well). Rather, a strong GOP leader should have put snakes like Ben Veniste and Gorelick in their place.

[backhoe]

Cross-link:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1117579/posts
GORELICK GATE: Developing...
various FR links | 04-14-04 | The Heavy Equipment Guy

[Diogenesis]

The Disgraced 911 Commission

---

"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 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 on DNC computers.
Not a chance. Following LBJ, your gonads are in my fist.
Your FBI files are in my computer. Now go away. "

---

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

See this also:

Clinton aides admit little done to foil terrorism

Gorelick mentioned.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

From Reno:Earlier in the day, Janet Reno, Clinton’s attorney general, contradicted this, saying, "There are simply no walls or restrictions on sharing" information.

However we have a Memo here:

Procedures for Contacts Procedures for Contacts Between the FBI & CIA Investigations

Actually it is the part that of the FBI ...the FCI.... that does talk to the CIA I believe..

[Huck]

LOL!

[GeronL]

No media bias there. *rolls eyes*

[Doogle]

Partisan?...before Ashcroft?
I was lucky enough to watch this shame when Condi Rice was "roasted"
Here's a fact to consider: During her three hour grilling,there were 25,000 words said,she was responsible for 15,000 of them. When you consider,10 members on this commission,that would average out to be 1000 words per commissioner for an alotted 10 mins each.
Were they questions for truth,understanding,info for the American people,or political statements.
Another thing to consider and keep in mind when making up your mind...is that Condi Rice had already testified before
them before

[Diogenesis]

Thanks. Good pick up. Will add that.

[LisaFab]

Hahahahahahaha!

[cwb]

"Questioned about why he changed from commercial to government jets in summer of 2001, Ashcroft said the decision was taken on advice of his personal security team and "related to maintenance of arms," among other things. It was not related to any terrorist threat, he said."

WOW! Apparently they missed the part were he plainly stated that on September 3rd...a week before the attack, he had taken a commercial jet to DC...or that his wife (and he) used them all summer long, like on her trip to Germany. Lies by ommission are still lies.

[GottaLuvAkitas1]

"It seems the Bush Administration and the GOP congressional leadership made poor selections with respect to the Republican appointees on this commission."

Yup very bad move!

Plus: The Bush team should have known better than to keep some of Clintons guys around to work for Bush after Clinton was gone. I'm sure Clinton had some nice perks for them. The kind of *PERKS* that Bush would never lower himself to even consider. It is time to clean the Big House!

[MinuteGal]

You hit the nail, Wally. The Republican membership on the commission is so appallingly over-the-hill, fogbound, weak and effete that I can barely stand to watch them in action (and I use the word "action" loosely).

Leni

[an amused spectator]

Questioned about why he changed from commercial to government jets in summer of 2001, Ashcroft said the decision was taken on advice of his personal security team and "related to maintenance of arms," among other things. It was not related to any terrorist threat, he said.

This is nothing but a "drive-by journalism" hitpiece by NewsCrack* dealer James Ridgeway.

*NewsCrack: soundbites from the Liberal News Ghetto. These are similar to five-dollar rocks of crack cocaine, and the habitual consumer eventually ends up broken and destitute, lying on a dirty mattress at DU.