Posted on 08/11/2005 10:57:02 AM PDT by Lando Lincoln
On April 16, 2004, a Washington Times editorial questioned the presence of Jamie Gorelick on the Sept. 11 Commission investigating the worst terrorist attack against the United States in history. It was Gorelick who was personally responsible for instituting a key obstacle [the so-called wall of separation memo] to cooperation between law enforcement and intelligence operations before the terrorist attacks and the Times editorial held that her presence on the Commission raises disturbing questions about the integrity of the commission itself. Ms. Gorelick should not be cross-examining witnesses; instead, she should be required to testify about her own behavior under oath.
Now comes news that the U.S. military knew of the presence of an al-Queda cell in Brooklyn, New York, at least a year prior to the 9/11 attacks. Worse, this cell included Mohammed Atta, the so-called mastermind behind the attacks, as well as three other of the hi-jackers.
The information was gathered, according to a Reuters news article (go here) by a small classified military operation engaged in data-mining analysis of open source information. Called Able Danger, its members sought to pass this information along to the FBI (including photographs and dossiers detailing links to al-Queda) with a recommendation that the FBI shut the cell down. They were turned downeither by attorneys in the Department of Defense or at the White Houseon the grounds that the members of the suspected cell were in the United States under valid visas and because Mohammed Atta himself possessed a green card. Given that Able Danger was in possession of this information a year prior to the 9/11 attacks, it should be noted that said attorneys would have been under the auspices of the Clinton, not the Bush, White House, and very likely heavily influenced by the atmosphere that produced the Gorelick directive.
Representative Curt Weldon (R-PA), who vice-chairs both the Homeland Security and the House Armed Services committees, and who has been looking into this story for some time, has said the information was provided to staff members of the Sept. 11 Commission but that for some reason commissioners were not informed. Lee Hamilton, former vice chairman of the Sept. 11 Commission, is quoted by Reuters as saying Neither in the documents nor in the conversations [with Able Danger members in Afghanistan in October 2003] was there any mention of Mohammed Atta or his cell. But a former member of Able Danger said he personally told Sept. 11 commission staff members about Atta in Afghanistan, and offered to supply them with documents upon his return to the United States, only to be rebuffed.
So, a year before the 9/11 attacks, a special unit in the U.S. military was aware of the presence of an al-Queda cell in Brooklyn, New York, and sought to share its information with the FBI but was stopped cold. Why? Because (as described in the April 16, 2004 Washington Times piece) on March 4, 1995, [Jamie Gorelick, the then number 2 official in the Clinton Justice Department, sent a 4-page directive] to FBI Director Louis Freeh and Mary Jo White, the New York-based U.S. attorney investigating the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. In the memo, Ms. Gorelick ordered Mr. Freeh and Ms. White to follow information-sharing procedures that go beyond what is legally required, in order to avoid any risk of creating an unwarranted appearance that the Justice Department was using Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) warrants, instead of ordinary criminal investigative procedures, in an effort to undermine the civil liberties of terrorism suspects.
The information that Able Danger knew of the presence of an al-Queda cell in New York a year prior to the 9/11 attacks was given to the Sept. 11 Commission staff in October 2003, and now we find that Commission members themselves were not informed prior to their issuing their report. And, Jamie Gorelick, the former Clinton Justice Department official responsible for the very directive that prevented Able Danger from passing its information to the FBI, is a member of the Commission charged with finding out what we knew and when we knew it before the 9/11 attacks.
Here is what Richard A. Clark, former counter-terrorism advisor for both the Clinton and Bush Administrations, testified to in prepared remarks before the Sept. 11 Commission on March 24, 2004: In retrospect, we know that there was information available to some in the FBI and CIA that al Qida [sic] operatives had entered the United States. That information was not shared with the senior FBI counter-terrorism official (Dale Watson) or with me, despite the heightened state of concern in the Counter-terrorism Security Group.
As the Washington Times noted in April 2004: Ms. Gorelick has been among the most partisan and aggressive Democratic panel members in questioning the anti-terror efforts of the Bush administration. The nation deserves a full accounting from Ms. Gorelick of why the Clinton administration felt it necessary to go the extra mile in order to hamper the capability of law enforcement and intelligence agents to talk to one another. If Ms. Gorelick fails to provide this, her actions would bring into serious doubt the credibility of the commission.
Mr. Clarkes own testimony in March of 2004 corroborates that information regarding the al-Queda presence in the United States prior to 9/11 was known and not acted upon. Whether the information to which Mr. Clark referred is the same as that possessed by Able Danger is open to question. In his concluding remarks, Clarke attempts to pin government non-action on the Bush Administrations less than urgent regard for al-Queda, rather than upon the wall of separation memo penned by Ms. Gorelick.
But it is clearly Ms. Gorelicks memo, and the Clinton Administrations scrupulosity regarding information sharing and the civil rights of terror-suspects, that played the key role in preventing information from being passed to the appropriate agencies prior to the 9/11 attacks. Had Able Danger been allowed to pass along its information to the FBIwithin the limits of the laws restricting communication between counter-terrorism agents and federal prosecutors9/11 may well have been prevented.
Given that it has now come to light that Able Danger was prevented from passing its information to the FBI and that this information was provided to Sept. 11 Commission members who then did not inform the Commission prior to its publishing its final report, one wonders just who those staffers were and to whom they reported. Indeed, if Representative Weldon is serious about calling for a formal inquiry in Congress after the August recess, I would suggest that the top of the witness list include Ms. Gorelick and her Sept. 11 Commission staff members.
Specifically, one would like to know what Ms. Gorelick knew and when she knew it.
About the Writer: Gregory Borse holds a Ph.D. from Louisiana State University, and an MA and BA from the University of Dallas. Dr. Borse, a family man with "a beautiful wife and four beautiful children," enjoys writing, current events, media, politics, and disc golf. Gregory receives e-mail at gregorbo@sbcglobal.net.
There must have been. It would have been so easy for Pres. Bush, when the report was delivered, to have said "but I think the Commission was flawed by its inclusion of Ms Gorelick on the panel..." or some such thing. The story could have had some traction if Bush had kept bringing it up.
Snip:
Once the clintons' own U.S. attorneys were in place, once the opposition was disemboweled by the knowledge that their raw FBI files had been in the possession of the clintons, once domestic law enforcement was effectively blinded to foreign data by Gorelick's Wall, the clintons were free to methodically and seditiously and with impunity auction off America's security, sovereignty and economy to the highest foreign bidder.
I have always thought this was misdirection. Classic clinton stuff. Admit to something sufficiently scandalous to satisfy the hounds, but inspecific enough to be survivable. Protect the crown jewels.
So what would be so vital, so compelling, that a former NSA director would risk everything to see it doesn't come to light? He had to know he'd be caught--yet whatever it was he was after was worth it. What could possibly be that valuable? Mohammed Atta's name on a 1999 WH document routed thru NSA or DoD sure qualifies, imho.
Interesting tidbit: Welson says that the first time Able Danger was brought to the attention of the 9-11 Commission was in Oct. 2003. Wonder what specific date that was? Sandy Berger purloined four documents from the archives on October 2, 2003.
As this information shows, the whole commission was a waste of taxpayer money. Jamie G. is an inept and traitorous person who needs to be brought to account for her actions (appearances, give me a break!). At the time the information was developed the Clinton administration was asleep at the wheel. The USS Cole had just been bombed and they still practiced this subversive policy. I am convinced that our country was and is inundated with traitorous left wing liberal war criminals who must be routed out and eliminated. Thank God GW has brought integrity and common sense back to our Country. And as a brief aside to my rant, does anyone know the total cost of the 911 commission work?
Hey, that was good research and all very interesting. I find it hard to believe that the Clintonistas wanted Clarke's after action review. Clarke is an idiot and his comments are worthless. However, the big push was on to not have Clinton blamed for 9/11. The Able Danger team had the proof that it was during the Clinton term when first told about a possible attack. And the AD team just happened not to be called? Please! More Clinton/Gore-lick dirty tricks in my opinion.
Or to thwart the Oklahoma City bombing - Iraqi Intelligence Officer suspected. Gorelick was able to cut communications between FBI and any overseas espionage agencies effective.
Gorelick is a Scumbag
Keep in mind that our intel agencies also knew that: 9/11/01 hi-jackers' rented car with ID of Saudi pilot who crashed his plane into another in mid-air one year earlier on 9/11/2000
So the Clinton Administration was warned of Atta and his cell by Able Danger in 1999, again in 2000, and then watched one of the 9/11 cell commit a mid-air crash on 9/11/2000.
Where were the arrests?! Where was the investigation?!
No, perhaps we could have prevented 911 by allowing the FBI to investigate these people and their activities given that they were known to be part of a terror group that had been killing Americans (and others) around the globe FOR YEARS.
Government is not infallible. I do not demand that government protect me from all disasters. But we knew Al Queda was responsible for many terror acts. That they were here certainly signified something! Perhaps, had they been deported (I doubt they could have been arrested) they would have been spooked enough to stay away. Perhaps they would have come back. But today we could say that at least our government wasn't asleep at the wheel.
The Reuters link is dead already.
Well that was April/2004. . .
Where is Ms. Gorelick today. . .Sandy Burger? The rest of the liars and traitors of the Demrat Party?
Oh. . .and Hillary. . .she is. . .calculating the innumumerables to 'her' White House.
SICK! . . .sick. . . These people MUST BE OUTED!
Bookmarking linked article at Post 32
Why. . .why. . .why?
That he has been protected is both curious. . .and depressing. (Hillary still holding some aces in the FBI files she holds or. . .is there just a 'something else' going on here.)
HILLARY'S TRIPLE PLAY
the clinton putsch + filegate + the gorelick wall
Obviously the fix was in on the 9/11 commission from the get go. DC is one stagnant pool of corruption.
But .. according to Weldon - the staff of the 9/11 commission was informed twice about this information - and the fact that the FBI would not accept it.
So .. I suspect Sandy Burgler was destroying the memos regarding Atta - which would have been dynamite. I still think this has now become public because of the Berger conviction. And .. I suspect it's what Sandy told the prosecutors about the stuff he destroyed. The clue to me is that if Atta's name appeared on any of those documents, it was going to be an obvious arrow pointing directly at the Clinton admin. - Berger had to take the risk of trying to steal the information.
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