Posted on 09/20/2005 6:57:29 PM PDT by livesbygrace
WASHINGTON -- Sept. 11 family members are protesting a reported Pentagon attempt to close this week's Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on a claim that military intelligence had lead hijacker Mohammed Atta in its sights as early as 1999.
"They want to sweep it under the rug," said Joan Molinaro, a former Eltingville resident, whose firefighter son was killed at Ground Zero.
"They have been denying this Atta thing up, down and sideways for weeks," she said. "And now they want to cover it up."
Bruce DeCell of Dongan Hills, who lost a son-in-law and cousin at the World Trade Center, said he has wearied of attempts by government officials to suppress 9/11-related information. "They always plead national security," he said. "But 9/11 was about national security and 3,000 people died because they let it happen."
"It would be a travesty to keep the facts surrounding this operation from the public," said Kristen Breitweiser of New Jersey, who lost her husband at Ground Zero.
Judiciary Committee sources confirmed that the Pentagon was negotiating with panel members on whether the testimony of some witnesses due to appear at tomorrow's hearing could involve classified information and should be taken in private session.
But at this point, the committee intends to conduct an open hearing, the sources said.
Aides to Republican Rep. Curt Weldon of Pennsylvania, who requested the hearing, said it was "news to us" that the session might be closed. "It's still public as far as we know," said John Tomaszewski, a Weldon spokesman.
Weldon has claimed that a military intelligence program known as Able Danger identified Atta as a member of al-Qaida in late 1999 while he was living in this country.
The claim conflicts with the 9/11 commission's finding last year that Atta did not enter the United States to start taking flight courses until June 2000 and that he did not appear on the radar screen of U.S. intelligence until he flew American Flight 11 into the Trade Center's North Tower.
Members of the now disbanded commission and the Pentagon have dismissed Weldon's claim as bogus, saying that no confirmation could be found despite a massive search of Pentagon files and numerous interviews with military intelligence officials.
"Bluntly, it just did not happen," said commissioner Slade Gorton, a former senator from Washington State, at a press conference here last week.
Weldon has said a Pentagon employee is prepared to testify at the hearing that he was ordered to destroy a large volume of Able Danger documents, including those mentioning Atta.
Supposed to be STATEN Island Advance...
Hmmm.
That's it, keep the pressure on them 'til the pop.
It's time to put the 9-11 Commissioners themselves on the stand.
And their staff!
I will bet the ORDER came from someone in the previous administration and that somehow this will become George Bush's fault.
And on another thread and article, the Pentagon has said the Able Danger guys can't testify. Who knows.
"It's time to put the 9-11 Commissioners themselves on the stand.
And their staff!"
And it is time for Jamie Gorelick to testify UNDER OATH!!!
OMG.......I agree with the head "Jersey Girl"......I'm afraid that DC has become nothing but a huge protection racket.
Did you read the post with the transcript of Weldon's press conference the other day? He slammed the Commission and Slade Gordon in particular. He also said, at one point Gorelick called him and said "I've done nothing wrong." He said he found that curious as he has never met her or accused her of anting. He said he would leave it to the reporters to figure out what she meant.
And what makes you think she'll tell the truth under oath?
She's part of the elite, like Sandy Berger, NOTHING is going to happen to her (unless she gets caught making a dead drop to a foreign official).
LMAO!! Yeah, Gorton has lots of credibility.
I heard one of the main Able Danger witnesses today. He was just notified that his Top Secret clearance had been dropped by DIA and he cannot testify at a classified briefing.
The perverted one and PIAPS have the fix in on this one and they even seem to own ALL the committee members. We are about to see this story disappear for the last time. 2.4 Terabytes of data were destroyed and all related documents.
In other words there is only the memories of those who were involved and now they are precluding some of them from testifying. Where are the spineless Republicans? Who knows? They're not on top of this one.
President PIAPS with Secretary of State Sandy Berger in a few more years. What a rid that's going to be.
The passion with which Gorton dismisses this is kinda scary. He never had a burr in his ass like that when he was a senator.
will the press fawn over Kristen Breitweiser now that she is questioning the questioners?
Absolutely it's time to put the 9-ll Commissioners and staffers under oath for questioning. But do I think that's going to happen? No, I don't.
But I'll be watching the hearing tomorrow morning, 9:30 AM C-span 3.
He didn't say it -- but that strategy was what Hillary and the Clinton operatives applied against the never-ending bimbo eruptions -- against the victims, the women who caught Clinton's zipper-eye.
Unfortunately, you're right. We all sat here and watched the snowjob, and its resulting half finished tome.
It really sucks to be right, know you're right, can prove you're right, but have the liars outscream you at every turn.
No clintonista will tell the truth. They have taken a blood oath to Hitlery.
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