Ashcroft: Berger 9/11 Docs Reveal Clinton Security Lapse

NewsMax ^ | 7/19/04 | Carl Limbacher

[wagglebee]

A sensitive after action report on the foiled Millennium bomb plot, portions of which were allegedly pilfered by former National Security Advisor Sandy Berger, sounded the alarm that al Qaida operatives had entered the U.S. and were preparing to strike.

In testimony before the 9/11 Commission in April, Attorney General John Ashcroft detailed the highly classified March 2000 document, saying it contained a set of sweeping recommendations on how to combat the al Qaida threat that were completely ignored by the Clinton White House.

"The NSC's Millennium After Action Review declares that the United States barely missed major terrorist attacks in 1999 -- with luck playing a major role," Ashcroft told the Commission.

"Among the many vulnerabilities in homeland defenses identified, the Justice Department's surveillance and FISA operations were specifically criticized for their glaring weaknesses."

"It is clear from the review," declared Ashcroft, "that actions taken in the Millennium Period should not be the operating model for the U.S. government."

The Millennium plot review warned the Clinton administration "of a substantial al Qaida network and affiliated foreign terrorist presence within the U.S., capable of supporting additional terrorist attacks here," the Bush attorney general said.

"Furthermore, fully seventeen months before the September 11 attacks, the review recommends disrupting the al Qaida network and terrorist presence here using immigration violations, minor criminal infractions, and tougher visa and border controls," he explained.

Ashcroft's comments suggested why a former Clinton national security official might not want the information contained in the Millennium review to ever see the light of day.

"Despite the warnings and the clear vulnerabilities identified by the NSC in 2000," he told the Commission, "no new disruption strategy to attack the al Qaida network within the United States was deployed. It was ignored in the Department's five-year counterterrorism strategy."

[PeoplesRepublicOfWashington]

The Bush WH is risk adverse to the point of paralysis. Why weren't they trashing the dems and Clinton admin over their screwup on national security for years? If they won't fight, they will lose this election.

Bush is a man of his word, and he promised a new tone.

[ex 98C MI Dude]

True, very true.

But the point remains. These had already been seen by the reviewers on the commision, from both sides. To remove them when he did would be counterproductive...

But then, when did anything the 'Rats do ever actually make sense in the real world?

[BigWaveBetty]

ping

[BJungNan]

What is really scary, somewhere in this administration is a report that says there is a very serious threat and that the borders should be closed immediately.

Same problem, different president as far as I can tell.

[Toespi]

"But I'm with you in wondering why Berger would have pilfered them if there were copies available."

Because the originals and the copies do not match, doctored.

[ScottFromSpokane]

It's the handwritten notes he made that he stuffed in his pants (presumably because removing them was a "violation of Archive procedures"; I suspect from his lawyer's weasel-words that it's a violation of the law as well). The actual classified documents themselves, he claims he took inadvertently.

[BJungNan]

One looks at an index of what is supposed to be in the archive and checks that certain items cannot be found.

So where are the reporters to answer the questions, what was taken and what did it say?

[Edit35]

But I'm with you in wondering why Berger would have pilfered them if there were copies available.

From my understanding, copies were not necessarily available to the public (nor had they been leaked, yet), which is why BergerBoy wanted to steal them.

Also, I believe Berger and his comrades in distortion (Kerry, Clinton, etc) wanted to know exactly what was in those documents so they could find the best way to refute any statement or detail which made the clinton administration look bad.

If the Bush Administration does not prosecute to the fullest extent, or find a way to connect this treachery to the dangerous Kerry Kreeps (GET IT on the front page crime) , then my head will REALLY start to boil.

The Kerry Kooks just handed the GOP a realistic picture of how Dems operate (whether in the 2000 elections of this current one) and the GOP had better make the best of it.

[ScottFromSpokane]

Remember, much of what he took consisted of his own handwritten notes based on the documents he was looking at.

Perhaps he wasn't trying to cover anything up, so much as to give someone a heads-up on information contained in the documents. And maybe he knew he didn't have time to take down all the information he wanted from some of the documents, so he just accidentally-on-purpose let them slip in among his own papers. Unfortunately, whoever he gave them to hadn't gotten them back when the Feds came to visit, so he said they were "lost."

Just speculation, of course.

[stylin19a]

thanx...

[adam_az]

"In another story, it's revealed that Berger stuffed them in his pants to sneak them out." Oh no! You don't understand. He didn't "steal them" or "sneak them out". He "inadvertently took them". Don't you understand? Clintonistas don't steal. Hillary "inadvertently" took those files and "inadvertently" left them in the secretary's office.

Hint to Clintonistas: "keep it in your pants" wasn't referring to top secret documents.

[Lancey Howard]

Didn't it say they were drafts, could be something in them that got cut out of the final version.

Yeah, along with Berger's personal notes. Must be some really incriminating stuff.

[patriciamary]

You are right Bush will Not be re-elected if he does not speak out loudly and SOON

[upchuck]

Bush is a man of his word, and he promised a new tone.

That may be. And, to his credit, there has been a new tone. But there comes a time when even the nicest of guyz has to stand up and fight. That time is NOW. Rather, that time started about six months ago.

And it's not that he can't do it. His remark about, "Cheney can be President" was perfect. And that was off the top of his head! He needs to do more, much more, of this.

If President Bush refuses to fight the RATbastards, he may join his Dad in the "One Term POTUS Club."

[ScottFromSpokane]

I think the notes referred to are those Berger took that day, not notes which were contained in the files.

[okie01]

Maybe they were even tougher than the final document.

Precisely. The situation got minimized, the response got watered down...and it all got shoved under the already billowing carpet, so to speak.

The contrast between the "drafts" and the final document will prove that the Clinton administration was never serious about dealing with the terrorist problem.

[patriciamary]

But when your own record is constantly distorted and you are in danger of losing the election it time to speak out.The public could care less about a new tone.No matter how much you give the dems they are only out for one thing the power

[Reactionary]

"The Millennium plot review warned the Clinton administration "of a substantial al Qaida network and affiliated foreign terrorist presence within the U.S., capable of supporting additional terrorist attacks here," the Bush attorney general said."

This is damning. Clinton knew that Al Qaeda was operating in the country. He sent Berger to doctor/steal classified information that proved that he knew that Al Qaeda was operational in America and capable of another attack.

"Furthermore, fully seventeen months before the September 11 attacks, the review recommends disrupting the al Qaida network and terrorist presence here using immigration violations, minor criminal infractions, and tougher visa and border controls," he explained."

Here, Ashcroft is saying that the review recommended that Clinton take steps against Al Qaeda in America. Clinton did nothing and obviously didn't warn the Bush administration. Why?

[Lancey Howard]

That p.o.s. Berger needs to do hard time.

If Ashcroft and Bush fail to indict and jail this scumbag Berger, it might be a little harder for me to remember to visit my polling place in November. I am fed up to here with these scumbag Democrats constantly getting away with murder and hardly anybody going to jail. REAL jail.

We have a Republican Justice Department now, a Republican President, a Republican Senate, and a Republican House. It is time to make the scumbags PAY. Real jail.

[Howlin]

The documents were taken in October of 2003.