Rice: Not Clear Whether Mole Involved in Air Force One Threat

NewsMax.com ^ | 9/23/01 | Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff

[kattracks]

U.S. intelligence officials have not ruled out the possibilty that a government mole may have given terrorists the top secret code language they used to deliver the threat "Air Force One is next" as the World Trade Center and Pentagon were under attack.

In an interview with "Fox News Sunday's" Tony Snow, National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice confirmed that the Sept. 11 threat against President Bush's life included a "coded name."

SNOW: Sept. 11 there was a report that there was a coded message that said, "We're going to strike Air Force One" that was using specific coded language and made the threat credible. Is that true?

RICE: That is true.

SNOW: So we have a mole somewhere?

RICE: It's not clear how this coded name was gotten. We're a very open society and I don't think it's any surprise to anyone that leaks happen. So, I don't know -- it's possible the code name leaked a long time ago and was just used.

SNOW: How on earth would that happen?

RICE: I don't know. I don't know. We're obviously looking very hard at the situation. But I will tell you that it was plenty of evidence from our point of view to have special measures taken at that moment to make sure the president was safe. (End of Excerpt)

In a related development, the FBI has taken into custody two Saudi nationals who were found with computer files labeled "killpresidentbush.exe," the New York Daily News reported Saturday.

The two suspects tried to board a plane from New York to Los Angeles on Sept. 13, two days after the Twin Tower and Pentagon attacks. They had tickets dated Sept. 11.

"The two are among a group of 10 material witnesses now in custody," the News reported. The FBI has declined to make their identities public.

Read more on this subject in related Hot Topics:

Bush Administration
War on Terrorism

[Greatgrandma]

bump

[newzjunkey]

Bump!

[Zviadist]

We're a very open society and I don't think it's any surprise to anyone that leaks happen.

Leak, thy name be Orrin Hatch. This turd is a sieve.

[jws3sticks]

I found the code name on my first hit on Google, searching for 'Air Force One Code Name' at:

http://www.2600.com/secret/more/codes.html

Obviously, Dr. Rice was exactly correct, to no surprise at all!

[jws3sticks]

A quick P.S.:

I'd bet a penny there is a new code name today!

[Old Lady]

This is awful. Thank Bill Clinton and the American public for not removing him and his trashy, traitorous administration.

[Old Lady]

From the article: "they used to deliver the threat "Air Force One is next" as the World Trade Center and Pentagon were under attack."

(1) Who received this threat - a govt agency, the media, who?

(2) What form did the threat come in - email, phone, fax?

[ConsistentLibertarian]

The good people of Utah should start a recall campaign. Maybe Freepers in Utah could organize it? It's dangerous to have someone like that in the Senate when we're going to war. I can understand that people might not have known what a moron he was. I had no idea. But now that we do know, isn't there anything that can be done about it?

[FLCowboy,]

Want to guess where the "missing" State Department laptops are right about now?

[Ragtime Cowgirl]

The Cost of Life (Clinton/Gore Sellout of Security), a Freeper exclusive today - by Clinton's a liar and Jon Loose!

[Zviadist]

Want to guess where the "missing" State Department laptops are right about now?

Extremely interesting possibility you bring up.

[steveo]

Maybe the mole is some congressman whose girlfriend was kidnapped and was being held by terrorists demanding information but they killed her anyway. Nah, that would never happen..

[ConsistentLibertarian]

Yeah, that would solve a lot of problems until all the information gets centralized in Microsoft .Net servers ...

[Darlin']

This story make me completely sick with loathing and anger that someone would do that, in this administration or the last one. Why weren't the codes changed when Clinton left ?

[DonQ]

They haven't told us what the coded name was or what it signified. It's not a very well kept secret what the Secret Service uses as its nickname (code name) for the President, the First Lady, etc. If that was it, there wasn't a mole, just a very well-read terrorist.