Posted on 09/20/2005 9:08:30 PM PDT by bobsunshine
Sessions pointing out that if these documents were destroyed, because of rules in the military...
it is Congress' fault...and need to take blame.
He and Specter just seem to not know what questions to ask, because this is all so bizarre...
Does anyone know who was the head of DIA in 2004, who would have ordered Lt. Scheaffer's documents in his apartment destroyed...?
Chart again....destroyed..
Mr. Smith would have indicated he was tasked with compiling information and put it into charts containing massive amounts of data showing associational links.
Kept one chart on wall until summer 2004 when it was destroyed during an office move. The chart had Atta on the chart and 3 others of the 20 hijackers.
He would have made one mention that in one point in time, he wasn't there then, that federal agents came to Orion in March/April 2000 and confiscated much of the data that Orion had compiled. They never obtained his charts or data because it was unclassified and it wasin the trunk of his car.
After spring 2000 that contract ceased to exist so he didn't participate in the efforts.
Specter: Was it THE Atta?
Answer: Yes. The photo came through a contractor, a foreign source . It was the look of the photo that post 9/11 that he had the chart in his office and show anyone who came by and say "look what we compiled" and shake his head and say what if.
The chart was destroyed. It was on tissue paper and it was taped to the wall and when they moved the office, it tore.
Contractor Smith
second set of notes
Zaid says the main focus should be "where are the other terrorists identified on those charts".?
Kyle establishes the fact that the witnesses themselves should be allowed to testify.
Maj Erik Kleinsmith, retired, Former Chief of Intelligence, Land Information Warfare Analysis testifies. Explains how data mining can assist in intelligence gathering.
Special Operations approached him to support Able Danger. We were able to map Al Queda as worldwide threat within 4 months. they were shut down because of concerns about
oversight concerns, dictated by Intelligence Oversight rules we had to live by.
Specter asks what knowledge he has about destruction of documents. Kleinsmith says I'm the guy. I destroyed data. all of it classified and unclassified. all charts, all soft and hard copy destroyed or deleted.
We May, JUne 2000 is when documentation was destroyed.
We got instructions, Tony Gentry ordered it all destroyed. Army 381-10 regulation regarding keeping info on private citizens no longer than 90 days.
"Delete this info or you guys will go to jail," Gentry told Kleinsmith"
Specter is most interested in finding out if all this is connected to Posse Commitattttas. spector is a one trick pony, on Posse C. Gentry says no, it's not Posse C, it's army regulations. Specter is disappointed..that's his main interest.
Kleinsmith believes Shaeffer, and Philpott IMPLICITELY. Kleinsmith doesn't remember seeing Atta himself, but he believes Shaeffer and Philpott when they say they saw Atta and remember seeing his picture.
Kleinsmith said every night I say, if we had not been shut down, we would have been able to help prevent 9-ll. we think we might have helped prevent it....me and the members of our team all believe that.
thank God! Senator Sessions showed up!!!
Kleinsmith says I could have convveniently forgotten to delete the information, but that would have violated the specific army regulation.
Kleinsmith consulted legal advice before he deleted Able Danger.
Sessions ask if Army regulation should be changed? Kleinsmith says my recommendation would be to investigate how helpful open data mining can be in fighting terrorists.
Sessions says we get after the mililtary for breaking regulations, now we are after them for keeping them.
Lawyer Zaid tells Sessions private contractors are under no regulations to prevent them from open data gathering. Says the Army got into trouble over helping .local law enforcemtn at Waco.
Zaid says as he understands the laws, Able Danger would not have crossed the line of being in violation of the Army regulation, or Posse C.
Those within Able Danger wwere confident they didn't cross the legal line, Zaid says.
What happened is when Atta was connected to Brooklyn, that made legal eagles think he was a private citizen.
Specter identifies Schaeffer and J. D. Smith The DoD has prohibited them from testifying, explains Zaid. Schaeffer specifically, and Smith becsause I advised him not to until we get specific instructions, because he still works for DoD.
J.D. Smith's contract with Orion at the Pentagon had no link to classified information.
Zaid says no information involved here is classified. Zaid says there is no reason why they should be prevented from testifying today.
Atta's photo was not a government provided photo. It was from private source. Smith remembers it because of the evil look.
Zaid is good, doing excellent job in explaining background of how 9-ll Commission staff got briefing on Atta, but never followed up. (I missed the name of the 9-ll Commission Deputy who got the briefing from Schaefffer). Sometime between the time Schaeffer briefed the 9-ll staff and the publication of the Report, someone made the decision for the Commission to ignore Able Danger.
bttt
Yes, lets. And this is it. Nobody is posting to the other thread. Let's get Admin to lock it and make this the live thread.
I think it was the private sector analyst, Smith.
Introducing "The Wall."...
Clinton/Gorelick Wall
Waco would have been mentioned because of Posse Comitatus. Schaffer mentioned before that they were concerned that AD would lead to a "Waco style controversy". If you will remember SOCOM was involved in Waco and took alot of heat for it.
Has the question been asked/answered yet as to who ordered the destruction of the AD database?
the chart was likely some powerpoint slide, constructed as the end stage of the data mining. you mean they even destroyed those?
Gary Bald has hair
FBI agent, Gary Bald, is basically saying: Don't look at what we did then, see what we are doing now.
congress needs to subpoena the 9-11 commission staff.
CYA big time.
>>Who made the call? Rummy?
I hope not. This is starting to emit a real bad odor. I'm having Iran-Contra flashbacks. Media will latch onto this for a major Bush blamefest.
Not saying it shouldn't be thoroughly investigated, though. Let the chips fall.
Kind of...
Kleinsmith wasn't "ordered" to delete the information but someone "reminded" him that there was a regulation that required it's deletion.
I didn't catch who did the "reminding".
February 2000 - Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
* George J. Tenet Director of Central Intelligence
* Vice Admiral Thomas R. Wilson, Director, Defense Intelligence Agency
* Ambassador J. Stapleton Roy, Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research
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