GORELICK TO LEAVE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT [IMPORTANT FLASHBACK]

US Department of Justice - Press Release ^ | January 15, 1997 | Janet Reno and staff

[Enchante]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE DAG WENDSDAY,[SIC] JANUARY 15, 1997

GORELICK TO LEAVE JUSTICE DEPARTMENT

Jamie S. Gorelick announced today that she will be resigning from her position as Deputy Attorney General to return to private life. Gorelick said she will remain in office long enough to help Attorney General Janet Reno assemble a team to lead the Department in the Clinton Administration's second term.

As the Justice Department's number two official since March 1994, Ms. Gorelick has served as the Department's chief operating officer, provided overall supervision of the Department, and functioned as the direct manager of its law enforcement components. She is one of the longest serving Deputies in the Department's history, and second woman ever to hold the position.

"Jamie brought tremendous managerial skill, brilliant legal ability, and great sensitivity to an extremely difficult job," said Reno. "Her contributions to the Department are incalculable, and I will miss her greatly, both as a colleague and as a friend."

As Deputy Attorney General, Gorelick introduced new managerial structures to guide the Department in the midst of a 30 percent increase in the Department's personnel and a 70 percent budget increase during her tenure.

One of Ms. Gorelick's principal priorities was to help prepare the Justice Department to be able to respond effectively to the new challenges of transnational crime and terrorism. To do this, she forged new relationships and administrative protocols with the Departments of State, Treasury and Defense, and with the intelligence community.

The Deputy Attorney General also worked with the Department's law enforcement components to better respond to crisis situations in the aftermath of the incidents at Ruby Ridge and Waco. After the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City in April 1995, she coordinated the government's overall response to the bombing and supervised the investigative and prosecutorial response to the crisis.

"In all of her work with law enforcement," Reno added, "Jamie displayed a sensitivity to the civil liberties of our citizens that gave comfort to all of us who care deeply about the Constitution."

Gorelick added, "I want to express my gratitude to the President, for giving me the opportunity to serve this great Department, and for his commitment to protecting the American people and their liberties. And I want to thank the Attorney General for her friendship, and for leading this Department with unmatched integrity and a commitment to the highest principles of justice."

Before joining the Department of Justice, Gorelick served from May 1993 to April 1994 as General Counsel of the Department of Defense. As General Counsel, she supervised the government's second-largest "law firm," consisting of 10,000 lawyers.

Gorelick, 46, is a former partner in the Washington law firm of Miller, Cassidy, Larocca and Lewin, and a former President of the District of Columbia Bar. She graduated from Harvard College in 1972, and from Harvard Law School in 1975. She is married to Richard Waldhorn, M.D., and has two children.

[Enchante]

IMPORTANT document showing Gorelick's central role in many areas of policy relating to many departments dealing with terrorism issues - I linked to it a few days ago (Aug. 12) when discussing possible link between Jamie Gorelick's policies and failures of DOD to provide "Able Danger" info on Atta's terror cell to FBI:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1462140/posts?page=86#86

However, as Maica has pointed out today, this document is of far more importance than what I was discussing (I was referring to Gorelick's work as GENERAL COUNSEL of the Dept. of Defense before she moved over to Justice); for it also states that as Associate Attorney General she was supposedly in charge of establishing legal and administrative policies across not only Justice and FBI but many or all departments and agencies dealing with intel and counter-terror issues (during the very time period when she wrote the infamous 'WALL' memo and IGNORED Mary Jo White's pointed warnings that such policies would inevitably lead to terrorists remaining free until they killed Americans). Gorelick and the people who put her in public office and then on the 9/11 Commission cannot escape responsibility for the badly failed policies of the '90s which allowed the 9/11 plotters to succeed.

[RushCrush]

One of Ms. Gorelick's principal priorities was to help prepare the Justice Department to be able to respond effectively to the new challenges of transnational crime and terrorism. To do this, she forged new relationships and administrative protocols with the Departments of State, Treasury and Defense, and with the intelligence community.

Complete BS

[Lone Red Ranger]

Good thing the FReepers don't suffer the same amnesia as the Left. Thanks for bringing it back.

[Enchante]

"One of Ms. Gorelick's principal priorities was to help prepare the Justice Department to be able to respond effectively to the new challenges of transnational crime and terrorism. To do this, she forged new relationships and administrative protocols with the Departments of State, Treasury and Defense, and with the intelligence community.

"The Deputy Attorney General also worked with the Department's law enforcement components to better respond to crisis situations in the aftermath of the incidents at Ruby Ridge and Waco. After the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City in April 1995, she coordinated the government's overall response to the bombing and supervised the investigative and prosecutorial response to the crisis."

In response to freeper requests I am giving this document its own thread. I linked to it a few days ago and then Maica today pointed out just how significant it really is. This is historical confirmation from the Reno Dept. of Justice that Gorelick's role in setting legal policy for intel and terrorism issues went far beyond even the notorious 'WALL' memo regarding the FBI and FISA -- here we have confirmation from Janet Reno herself that Gorelick was charged with working directly with depts. of Defense, State, Treasury, and intel agencies to set the legal and administrative policies which would dictate how issues such as the "Able Danger" info on Atta would end up being handled (or not handled!). When Gorelick (and Reno and other Clintonlites) ignored the pointed warnings from Mary Jo White, it affected far more than Justice/FBI policies (and that was bad enough!)

[TheForceOfOne]

Gore-licker

[Enchante]

ping

Great job, Maica!! I had discussed this PR the other day in relation to the DOD and "Able Danger" without realizing just how valuable it is for the passage showing that Gorelick's policy responsibilities went far beyond the Dept. of Justice and FBI. She really is at the heart of the whole rats' nest of failure to allow intel agencies to properly share information on terrorism, etc.

[paradoxical]

"In all of her work with law enforcement," Reno added, "Jamie displayed a sensitivity to the civil liberties of our citizens that gave comfort to all of us who care deeply about the Constitution."



I find this line rather interesting re Able Danger

[Steely Tom]

"After many years in public service, I have decided to return to private life, in order to spend more quality time with my document shredder."

[Eagle of Liberty]

After the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City in April 1995, she coordinated the government's overall response to the bombing and supervised the investigative and prosecutorial response to the crisis.

That explains A LOT!

[nuffsenuff]

I've already confronted some libs with this and their response is hysterical.

They are saying that Bush should have known about this "wall" and fixed it.

Can you believe this?

[b4its2late]

One of Ms. Gorelick's principal priorities was to help prepare the Justice Department to be able to respond effectively to the new challenges of transnational crime and terrorism. To do this, she forged new relationships and administrative protocols with the Departments of State, Treasury and Defense, and with the intelligence community.

She failed miserably.

[b4its2late]

They are saying that Bush should have known about this "wall" and fixed it.

Do they remember that Bush's transition team couldn't get into the WH with the election debacle? Do they remember how long it took for John Ashcroft to be confirmed and then take the reigns as AG to even have the ability to affect such a wall?
Guessnot.

[wm_tate]

GREAT work!! Hey is it just me or doesn anyone else's spell cheeck automatically spell "Gorelick" as "Gore lick"?

[1Old Pro]

Two things JUMP out: First, clearly GHorelick ran the entire department and intelligence failures can be laid squarely on her and Clintoon's shoulders. Second, Reno definately did not write her "official" responses, some in house writer did who apparentaly wass a very "sensitive" person.

[Personal Responsibility]

Didnt you know that everything that goes wrong is Bush's fault ?

Eve eats the apple? Bush.
Great Flood? Bush .
Fall of Rome? Bush .
Various wars between England, France and Spain? Bush.
"Stealing" if American indian land? Bush.
World war I, II, Korea, Vietnam? Bush.

Just go ask a lib. After they finish wiping the spittle off of their face from frothing at the mouth, they will probably agree.

[Uncle Miltie]

"One of Ms. Gorelick's principal priorities was to help prepare the Justice Department to be able to respond effectively to the new challenges of transnational crime and terrorism. To do this, she forged new relationships and administrative protocols with the Departments of State, Treasury and Defense, and with the intelligence community."

Bump.

[xzins]

Before joining the Department of Justice, Gorelick served from May 1993 to April 1994 as General Counsel of the Department of Defense. As General Counsel, she supervised the government's second-largest "law firm," consisting of 10,000 lawyers.

Her influence on the Pentagon legal team was probably as negative as was her influence on the Justice Department.

[cake_crumb]

Correction from other thread: Wow, great find! ENCHANTE must have an excellent memory ;-)

[Enchante]

"Her influence on the Pentagon legal team was probably as negative as was her influence on the Justice Department"

no doubt! That's why I was originally searching for such info and documents, because I knew that she had been at DOD before she moved over to Justice to become Associate Attorney General. At DOD she was in charge of ALL of their lawyers and legal policies in 1993-94:

http://www.defenselink.mil/dodgc/

As the DOJ document announcing her departure in 1997 makes clear, once she was at Justice performed similar responsibilities for ALL major departments and agencies involved with intel and counter-terrorism issues. Thus, even though she left gov't in 1997 she can be presumed to be the chief architect of all major Clinton era legal and administrative policies related to sharing of info among departments and intel agencies -- we know that her memo on "the Wall" from 1995 was still operative, and it would be interesting to know just what statements and memos she may have shared with the various departments and the "intelligence community" which Janet Reno says (in this PR) was among Gorelick's "principal responsibilities." She very likely trained and/or guided the very unnamed "Pentagon lawyers" who blocked the sharing of the info on Atta's cell from "ABLE DANGER."

[cake_crumb]

"They are saying that Bush should have known about this 'wall and fixed it."

How, when all of this happened during the Clinton administration?