9-11 COMMISSIONER JAMIE GORELICK SHOULD RESIGN IMMEDIATELY AND TAKE HER SEAT IN THE WITNESS CHAIR INSTEAD
(Washington) The D.C. Chapter of Free Republic, an independent grassroots organization today issued a statement supporting the calls of House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner and the Landmark Legal Foundation for the resignation or removal of Jamie Gorelick from the National Commission on Terrorist Attacks on the United States, also known as the 9-11 Commission.
This week it has become apparent to all except Democrats and those with the insiders club mentality of Washington that Ms. Gorelick is hopelessly conflicted as a commissioner. Her position as Deputy Attorney General from 1994 to 1997 in the Clinton administration should compel her to be testifying in front of the commission instead of being a member of it.
Chairman Kean, who has allowed the public hearings of the commission to descend into a circus, needs to remember who he works for. His comments yesterday demanding that the American people and their elected representatives “stay out of our business” is reprehensible and arrogant beyond belief.
The attacks of September 11 happened to all Americans. Chairman Kean and the other commissioners are accountable to all of us, not just the vocal partisan 9-11 families who cheer and clap as if the hearings were a sporting event.
“The contemptuous ‘we know best’ attitude of Chairman Kean and Commissioner Gorelick is exactly the attitude that made our nation so vulnerable. Ms. Gorelick needs to go, and Mr. Kean needs to remember he is nothing more than a servant of the American people,” stated Kristinn Taylor, Co-leader of the D.C. Chapter of Free Republic.
Looks like Gorelick got an estrogen transfusion prior to facing the American people.
When Gorelick came aboard CNN's 5pm EDT Wolf Blitzer Reports
on Wednesday afternoon, Blitzer did quiz her about the memo,
though he seemed more concerned with how Ashcroft "blindsided" her
with it than with the substance of it:
"The panel probing the 9/11 attacks has sharply criticized
U.S. intelligence agencies for failing to share their
intelligence. One of the commissioners, Democrat Jamie Gorelick
was a Deputy Attorney General in the Clinton administration. She
is now taking heat herself from GOP critics who say that a memo
she wrote back in 1995 helped block that intelligence sharing. The
House Judiciary Committee Chairman James Sensenbrenner wants
Gorelick to resign saying she has, quote, 'an inherent conflict of
interest.' Sensenbrenner adds this, 'I believe the commission's
work and independence will be fatally damaged by the continued
participation of Ms. Gorelick as a commissioner.' Jamie Gorelick
is joining us now live. What say you to Chairman Sensenbrenner?"
Gorelick: "Well, my chairman, Tom Kean and the vice chairman,
Lee Hamilton, I think, have addressed this issue completely. It's
a bogus factual issue. When you ask hard questions of people who
are in office and who have been in office, they take offense."
Blitzer: "Are you suggesting this is politically motivated?"
Gorelick: "I actually have no explanation for it. We're just
going to put our heads down and do our work-"
Blitzer: "You did write this memorandum in '95 that helped
establish the so-called walls between the FBI and CIA."
Gorelick: "No, and again, I would refer you back to what
others on the commission have said. The wall was a creature of
statute. It's existed since the mid 1980s. And while it's too
lengthy to go into, basically the policy that was put out in the
mid nineties, which I didn't sign, wasn't my policy by the way, it
was the attorney general's policy, was ratified by Attorney
General Ashcroft's deputy as well in August of 2001. So we are
just going to move on from this. This is not a basis for
resignation."
Blitzer: "Listen specifically to Ashcroft said yesterday
during his testimony when he announced that they had declassified
that memorandum. Listen to this."
Ashcroft at hearing on Tuesday: "Although you understand the
debilitating impact with the wall, I cannot imagine that the
commission knew about this memorandum so I have had it
declassified for you and the public to review. Full disclosure
compels me to inform you that the author of this memorandum is a
member of the commission."
Blitzer: "That would be you, of course. Were you blindsided,
not necessarily you personally, but the whole commission when
Attorney General Ashcroft released that memorandum yesterday?"
Gorelick: "All of us were. He declassified it on the 10th. And
brought it to the hearing yesterday morning. And talked about it
and we had to ask for it and then he distributed it to us. It, you
know, I -- honestly, I'm just not going to even give any credit to
this. It's just-"
Blitzer: "And I take it you're not going to resign from the
commission?"
Gorelick: "I'm not going to resign from the commission. And
you know, the commission staff is going to treat this fully and
completely. I announced the beginning of the hearing before he
showed up that I was recused from the review of any actions while
I was there. All of the commission members have some government
experience and everyone is subject to the same recusal policies.
You could have had a commission with nobody who knew anything
about government and I don't think it would have been a very
helpful commission. I'm comfortable with where we are."
Blitzer: "How unusual is it for a government witness in this
particular case, the attorney general, to come before the
commission and inform you at the same time he's informing the
whole world that he's got this declassified memorandum?"
Gorelick: "Wolf, let's talk about -- we had really interesting
hearings over the last two days. I'm just not going to talk about
this. It's not worth it."
Blitzer: "Well, let's move on and talk about some of the other
substantive issues that did come before the committee. What about,
forget about the Ashcroft criticism and Sensenbrenner, what he's
saying, but what about the whole issue of allowing the CIA to talk
to the FBI to talk to the INS, there are substantive issues that
have prevented that from happening dating back to abuses by the
FBI going back in the '70s and earlier."
Gorelick: "That's right. And the Patriot Act which I supported
knocks down a lot of those constraints. Basically it says that it
doesn't matter if the FBI is developing grand jury material, it
still nevertheless has to share information with the intelligence
community, and without going into the details, a lot of those
barriers are gone and it's a good thing."
http://www.mediaresearch.org/cyberalerts/2004/cyb20040415.asp
I've called the commission many times. A few days ago I called to complain about Gorlelick (before Ashcroft testified). The woman that answered told me that it was the White House who appointed commissioners and that my complaints should be directed at them. I knew that democrats appointed democrats but I needed proof. I called back an hour later armed with proof that Daschle had appointed Gorelick. I asked her why she had lied to me. She hung up on me.
In other words, "Shut up, it's none of your business". I can see she learned well from the head of the commission.
Another route to go is to call your Senators offices and complain. That too got me no where yesterday but if they hear from enough voters maybe some more will listen.
In other words, "Shut up, it's none of your business". I can see she learned well from the head of the commission.
Yes. Typical DemoRAT response to any question asked by someone other than another DemoRAT. Its the same response that Kerry gives when someone asks a question that he does not have a que card party line answer for.
"Sit down. Shut up. I'm John Kerry and you're not!"
John f'n Kerry.
The chairman, Kean, should also resign for telling everyone to "shut up and stay out of their business". By going public and grandstanding, this so-called commission is a far cry from credible. So typical of a Republican going to bat for a RAT once again!