Gorelick's Wall: The Commissioner belongs in the witness chair.

The Wall Street Journal Opinion Journal ^ | April 15, 2004 | Editorial

[quidnunc]

We predicted Democrats would use the 9/11 Commission for partisan purposes, and that much of the press would oblige. But color us astonished that barely anyone appreciates the significance of the bombshell Attorney General John Ashcroft dropped on the hearings Tuesday. If Jamie Gorelick were a Republican, you can be sure our colleagues in the Fourth Estate would be leading the chorus of complaint that the Commission's objectivity has been fatally compromised by a member who was also one of the key personalities behind the failed antiterror policy that the Commission has under scrutiny. Where's the outrage?

At issue is the pre-Patriot Act "wall" that prevented communication between intelligence agents and criminal investigators — a wall, Mr. Ashcroft said, that meant "the old national intelligence system in place on September 11 was destined to fail." The Attorney General explained:

"In the days before September 11, the wall specifically impeded the investigation into Zacarias Moussaoui, Khalid al-Midhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi. After the FBI arrested Moussaoui, agents became suspicious of his interest in commercial aircraft and sought approval for a criminal warrant to search his computer. The warrant was rejected because FBI officials feared breaching the wall.

"When the CIA finally told the FBI that al-Midhar and al-Hazmi were in the country in late August, agents in New York searched for the suspects. But because of the wall, FBI headquarters refused to allow criminal investigators who knew the most about the most recent al Qaeda attack to join the hunt for the suspected terrorists.

"At that time, a frustrated FBI investigator wrote headquarters, quote, 'Whatever has happened to this — someday someone will die — and wall or not — the public will not understand why we were not more effective and throwing every resource we had at certain 'problems.' "

-snip-

[hoosiermama]

"Ask Mr.Kean whether he or his staff had uncovered the Gorelick order by themselves"....Since Gorelick didn't give them this information it leads one to ask what other pertinent/damning information is she neglecting to give the committee? Inquiring minds want to know!

[Brian Allen]

<< Both Kean and Gorelick should resign. >>

Via our Representatives, we the people should deprive them of that option by Repealing P.L. 107-306 t. VI -- and thus abolishing the Commission.

To do otherwise is for every one of us to be a party to and responsible for the commission's obscene charades.

And to deny every one of its corrupt buffoons -- and the parade of other cli'tinista crime-family members it calls -- the dignity of the consequences of his own actions.

[Range Rover]

Gorelick (sp?)was on "Hardball" with Chrissy the drooler last night. Had some pressing things to do so I could not watch for more than a minute. All I saw was this woman with that plastered super smile across her mug.

Don't know if a transcript would turn up anything but may be worth a look.

[mabelkitty]

Mary Joe White - the Clinton appointed Judge who was given the CLINTON PARDONGATE INVESTIGATION!!!

Un F'n Believable!!

[mabelkitty]

His son is running for Senator in Illinois.
A Republican, I believe.
He may be the disgraced Governor from IL that just freed a bunch of crooks so his son will get the criminal vote.

Or I could be mistaking the two.

[mabelkitty]

Don't forget that John Glenn's little space trip was payback for his vote not to investigate this.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thank you so much for posting that!

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!

[MeekOneGOP]

Thanks for the ping !

The Wall Street Journal gets it!

Jamie Gorelick

[MeekOneGOP]

Bump to #89 ...

[Bushiefan]

I agree!! Apologize, Ms.Gorelick. The Washington Press Corp will,no doubt, pounce right on this. Yeah,right.

[O Neill]

The Washington Press Corp will,no doubt, pounce right on this.

Yep...Woodstein & Burnward are checking their notes right now for the big scoop...

'The Final Days Of Post-Modern Liberalism'

[jennyp]

Here's what I just now sent this email to the 9-11 Commission:

Gentlemen,

Your commission's credibility is now in tatters.

Now that it's been revealed that Commissioner Gorelick was herself the architect of the dreaded wall of silence that paved the way for the 9/11 attacks, you must do these things to restore some semblance of credibility:

• Remove Jamie Gorelick from the commission.
   
• Subpeona Jamie Gorelick to testify before the commission, in public and under oath.
   
• Ask her, under oath, who directed her to come up with a policy to go beyond the requiremements of the law.
   
• Ask her who worked with her in formulating the policy.
   
• Ask her if there had been any infringements of citizens' rights, or attempts to exploit the differences between a FISA warrant and a criminal warrant, that may have made this policy necessary - or were the fears of FBI investigators gaming the system merely hypothetical?
   
• Ask her if anyone had suggested other ways of mitigating the risk of investigators gaming the system, and if so why were those options rejected?
   
• Ask her if anyone had warned that erecting a wall of silence could lead to an unwarranted chilling effect on investigators?
   
• Ask her if, in her judgement, the Patriot Act contains sufficient protections against such gaming of the system, or does America still need her wall?
   
• Ask her if she's willing to apologize to the American people for setting in motion the system that prevented the 9/11 terrorists from being caught in time?

Regardless of the political sniping and gamesmanship, I can tell that elements of your commission - especially the staffers - are honestly attempting to produce findings that the country can use to move forward. But only if you take the steps outlined above will your commission have any chance of regaining the kind of reputation it needs for your recommendations to be taken seriously.

Sincerely,
************

[BenLurkin]

" . . . what other relevant information they are trying to hide?!?!?

I'm thinking that IS the reason she is on the Commission.

[potlatch]

let DemocRATS kick our asses up and down the street.

LOL, you forgot the 'sarcasm' tag!!

[potlatch]

"Lo the tangled web we weave,
when first we practice to decieve"

Perhaps not accurately worded, but very apt!!

[potlatch]

The last time I saw a picture of Monica, she was fat again!

[potlatch]

That deserves another investigation, Happy, how did they decide who would be on the committee??

[Texas Eagle]

Why is she sitting next to a cadaver?

[MeekOneGOP]

LOL !