Posted on 09/20/2005 9:08:30 PM PDT by bobsunshine
Able Danger: Pentagon Spikes Witnesses While Shaffer Reveals New Source
The New York Times reports this evening that the Pentagon has blocked its military witnesses from testifying on Able Danger at the Senate Judiciary Committee hearings tomorrow. Senator Arlen Specter registered his surprise but plans on holding the hearings anyway (h/t: AJ Strata):
The Pentagon said today that it had blocked a group of military officers and intelligence analysts from testifying at an open Congressional hearing about a highly classified military intelligence program that, the officers have said, identified a ringleader of the Sept. 11 attacks as a potential terrorist more than a year before the attacks.
The announcement came a day before the officers and intelligence analysts had been scheduled to testify about the program, known as Able Danger, at a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee. ...
Mr. Specter said his staff had talked to all five of the potential witnesses and found that "credibility has been established" for all of them.
"There are quite a few credible people who are prepared to testify that Mohamed Atta was identified long before 9/11," he said. "Now maybe there's more than one Mohamed Atta. Or maybe there's some mistake. But that's what we're trying to find out."
The Pentagon might think that withdrawing its witnesses will keep Able Danger from breaking wide open, but they will find themselves sorely mistaken. This only demonstrates that the program found something that the Pentagon still wants hidden. If that includes a finding that their program not only found Atta and other AQ terrorists over a year before the attacks, but also predicted the USS Cole attack three weeks before it happened, and that the Pentagon shut down the program anyway, eighteen Senators will want to know why.
In fact, the withdrawal of the witnesses clearly shows that the story has substance and isn't a case of mistaken identity. Had this just been an identification of a second Mohammed Atta, as Specter postulates, the Pentagon should have no problem putting its witnesses on the stand. Nothing about a mistaken identity would create a classification problem for the hearing tomorrow.
QT Monster has a transcript from tonight's interview of LTC Tony Shaffer on the Jerry Doyle radio show. Shaffer says Donald Rumsfeld himself gave the order to stop the witnesses from appearing at the Judiciary Committee hearing:
JD: Well, when you say DoD, where's this coming from at DoD? Is this instructions to DoD from higher ups? Is this people in DoD who are afraid of what information gets out? I mean who is the person who's making this happen? AS: What I will tell you is I was told by 2 DoD officials today directly that it is their understanding that the Secretary of Defense directed that we not testify tomorrow. That is my understanding.
However, Shaffer says that former Major Eric Kleinstadt, now a civilian contractor, will still testify at the panel. Kleinstadt received the orders to destroy the Able Danger database. Specter's insistence that the hearings go forward probably hinges on Kleinstadt's ability to testify to the information that got destroyed, who ordered its destruction, and why. From that point, the committee could unravel an entire command sequence that will uncover how Able Danger got missed by the 9/11 Commission.
Another interesting fact got mentioned in Shaffer's interview. He spoke about a Dr. Eileen Pricer. One of the more mysterious potential sources of the Able Danger story involved a female PhD that could corroborate Shaffer and Phillpott, the woman who actually developed the Atta identification in the first place. I Googled Eileen Pricer and got just one hit -- but it's a doozy.
It turns out that Dr. Pricer testified before a closed session of Congressional subcommittee on national security exactly one month after 9/11. That testimony isn't available, but Rep. Christopher Shays mentions her on the record in the next day's public testimony:
Mr. Shays. In a briefing we had yesterday, we had Eileen Pricer, who argues that we don't have the data we need because we don't take all the public data that is available and mix it with the security data. And just taking public data, using, you know, computer systems that are high-speed and able to digest, you know, literally floors' worth of material, she can take relationships that are seven times removed, seven units removed, and when she does that, she ends up with relationships to the bin Laden group where she sees the purchase of chemicals, the sending of students to universities. You wouldn't see it if you isolated it there, but if that unit is connected to that unit, which is connected to that unit, which is connected to that unit, you then see the relationship. So we don't know ultimately the authenticity of how she does it, but when she does it, she comes up with the kind of answer that you have just asked, which is a little unsettling. Unsettling? Christopher Shays described Able Danger thirty-one days after the 9/11 attacks. What else did Eileen Pricer tell the Congressional subcommittee on national security on October 11, 2001? Did Pricer tell Shays that the information no longer existed but did at one time?
Senator Specter should invite Christopher Shays to have a seat on the witness bench, and he should also start issuing subpoenas for the witnesses that the Pentagon wants to silence. We need answers, and we need to know that our country will fight terrorism with every tool at its disposal.
It was very noticeable a couple of days ago, that Bubba spoke of known cells during his administration. However, the word "camps" was what I remember from Bubba's administration. and that meant foreign soil, specifically, Afghanistan but not excluding other foreign countries.
My first thoughts on 9-11 was what took them so long, didn't need to ask, just wondered what took them so long?
the conclusion: Bush WH is protecting something--maybe a new and improved AD??
"based on what I've read in the press..." Is he serious?! OMG.
No offense to you, but nobody cares what that Al Gore Wanna Bee says anymore. Does he have another plan?
Thank you, all--I finally got it! Am listening and watching now.
Spector nailed Dugan to give a yes or no question. Actually got a NO answer as to Atta instead of weaseling.
Specter just SLAMMED this Dugan guy.
LOL, probably but we will never find out what it is.
Specter calls Dugan on doing the DoD dipsy doodle dance around the answers to the questions.
lol
I hope congressman Weldon has good body guards!
Specter: Can't you give a simple answer. Was Atta a US person?
Dugan: No, he was not.
Specter: Mr. Dugan, I know you were sent here by your superiors to do the best you could. I think the DOD owes the American people an explanation. There are credible questions which have been raised by Congressman Weldon whose credibility is impeccable. The questions have been raised by 5 witnesses who have all been prohibited from testifying.
We're here to see if Atta information had been shared, and the FBI was trying to get it, 9/11 might have been prevented. The other senators are trying to find out information too and we all want to know why DOD is stonewalling this.
If there is a problem with posse comitatus, it is our duty to fix it.
Specter: I want to thank the staff for helping with this hearing. This is the most difficult hearing we've ever had and we need answers.
Consider also that both Gorelick and Clarke have been appearing on that program "Balanced something????". I could actually see their halos.
excellent read - ping for later. thanks
Yes, Weldon looked disgusted at that point.
And he suspended the hearing!
Specter is really not appreciating this stonewalling...
He says the DOD owe the American citizens an explanation of what happened...
we are dealing with intelligence gathering data ---Atta...
can't figure out why DOD is stonewalling..
This is the most difficult hearing to prepare for...I guess because of the lack of cooperation and documents..
Suspend hearing in hopes of getting better answers in future...
YEAH, SURE, THAT IS GONNA HAPPEN!
Is this going to fall on Rumsfeld as the one who stopped the others from testifying?
Not a good sign if the Bush administration is doing this.
Is the hearing over for now?
There will HAVE to be other hearings on this. Have to be.
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