Posted on 08/12/2011 5:09:05 AM PDT by lbryce
In a new documentary, former national-security aide Richard Clarke suggests the CIA tried to recruit 9/11 hijackers—then covered it up. Philip Shenon on George Tenet’s denial.
With the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks only a month away, former CIA Director George Tenet and two former top aides are fighting back hard against allegations that they engaged in a massive cover-up in 2000 and 2001 to hide intelligence from the White House and the FBI that might have prevented the attacks.
The source of the explosive, unproved allegations is a man who once considered Tenet a close friend: former White House counterterrorism czar Richard Clarke, who makes the charges against Tenet and the CIA in an interview for a radio documentary timed to the 10th anniversary next month. Portions of the Clarke interview were made available to The Daily Beast by the producers of the documentary.
In the interview for the documentary, Clarke offers an incendiary theory that, if true, would rewrite the history of the 9/11 attacks, suggesting that the CIA intentionally withheld information from the White House and FBI in 2000 and 2001 that two Saudi-born terrorists were on U.S. soil—terrorists who went on to become suicide hijackers on 9/11.
Richard A. Clarke in 2010., Markus Schreiber / AP Photo
Clarke speculates—and readily admits he cannot prove—that the CIA withheld the information because the agency had been trying to recruit the terrorists, while they were living in Southern California under their own names, to work as CIA agents inside Al Qaeda. After the recruitment effort went sour, senior CIA officers continued to withhold the information from the White House for fear they would be accused of “malfeasance and misfeasance,” Clarke suggests.
(Excerpt) Read more at thedailybeast.com ...
Richard Clarke....his picture should be under the fake words loser-burger.
So okay, we can write books based on speculation now?
First, I hope it’s considered fiction. Second, even if true....so the CIA tried to recruit people who could speak both Arabic and English? It’s not unheard of. This is the Clarke nothing-body trying to be somebody again.
I speculate that Clark abuses his wife and tortures small dogs.
What a loser.
What a misleading opening sentence!
Whoa, there.
Does anyone recall the Gorelick memo?
It was Jamie Gorelick, who wrote the policy which stovepiped information from intelligence agencies and LEOs and prevented cross-checking and information sharing between agencies. (Probably to keep a bunch of the Clinton's deals under wraps).
Later she sat on the 9/11 commission (!), likely to find ways to quash or discredit any information which would have held the Clintons and others culpable in the attacks.
I see this as just another poke at the Bush WH, when the policies were put in place by the former occupants.
Clark is a egotistical weasel ... he’s managed to milk 9/11 for nearly the last ten years. He appears on ABC frequently in some sort of security consultant role. Early on he bashed the Bush administration concerning 9/11 ... mostly because Condoliza Rice was in the process of lessening his advisory role to the WH ... a position he held during the Clinton era.
Ditto.
So the Clinton administration tried to recruit these guys?
OK, Clarke is a loon, but it may be interesting to see how his fellow loons on the left handle this paradigm shift. What are they going to chant if it can be shown that Bush *didn't* know and it *wasn't* Bush's fault?!
All sarcasm aside, Clarke is a loon.
A Summary of Richard Clarke:
“Clarke speculates—and readily admits he cannot prove...”
Time for someone to cue up the “Aw, not this shit again” photo.
And 3-2-1.....
Ha, I can suggest anything, I can offer up theories all day long. Doesn't mean I'm not full of ... (just ask my wife!). This guy is selling something, puffing himself up. He's got an agenda. Throwing out unfounded, unsupported allegations is cheap. All he and his cohorts are doing is making the CIA defend themselves from ridiculous, but hard to completely disprove claims. Hard to prove a negative unless you open up the books on all the CIAs activities at the time and say "see, nothing in there about these jerk offs!" Even then, many will claim the CIA destroyed the records...
Hey, Clarke, you stop cheating on your wife yet? Sure, you claim you never have but... How's it feel with the shoe on the other foot so-to-speak?
Former national-security aide Richard Clarke...
Wasn’t he found in a closet with Bill Clinton’s panties on his head?
Duh! They were taking flying lessons!...
not landing lessons!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.