What exactly was the motivation?
###
To keep people flying. Nobody would fly an American airline if it was known one was shot down by terrorists. The airlines were already in trouble and the mass failure of the US air carriers would have sent the economy into a deep recession or triggered a depression. The administration didn't need that kind of trouble.
What exactly was the motivation?
1. '96 Olympic Games in August
What would have been the international "buzz" if we had terrorists shooting down airliners in our country? Thousands of empty seats in Atlanta (the South, a CRUCIAL area for re-election)
2. Presidential Election in November
We already know that the Clintons sold their souls to China to get re-elected. A terrorist coverup is peanuts.