Freeh: Gorelick Ignored Terror Warnings

NewsMax.com ^ | 4/12/04 | Carl Limbacher and NewsMax.com Staff

[kattracks]

In her first year as Deputy U.S. Attorney General in the Clinton administration, Sept. 11 Commissioner Jamie Gorelick was warned that lax U.S. immigration policies made the U.S. a tempting target for terrorists, former FBI Director Louis Freeh revealed on Monday, suggesting that Gorelick did little to remedy the situation.

"Protecting our homeland from attacks by foreign terrorists had long been the FBI's priority," said Freeh, in a lengthy Wall Street Journal op-ed piece.

"Back in September 1994, I recommended to Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick that the DoJ strengthen investigative powers against suspected 'undesirable aliens,' accelerating deportation appeal proceedings and limiting U.S. participation in a visa waiver pilot program under which 9.5 million foreigners entered the U.S. in 1994."

Freeh that he also recommended "that we include provisions for the detention and removal of undesirable aliens, under a special, closed-court procedure."

"I also criticized alien deportation appeal procedures which often took years to conclude. Finally, I recommended legislation to provide the FBI with roving wiretap authority to investigate terrorist activities in the U.S."

But if Gorelick took Freeh's warnings seriously, she didn't make much headway with her superiors.

By 1996, under the Clinton administration's Citizenship USA program, thousands of criminal suspects were rushed through the naturalization process without proper background checks in order to get them on the voting roles on time for that year's presidential election.

According to former Justice Department investigator David Schippers, under the accelerated procedures, the U.S. was swarmed with:

• More than 75,000 new citizens who had arrest records when they applied.

• An additional 115,000 citizens whose fingerprints were unclassifiable for various technical reasons and we're never resubmitted.

• Another 61,000 people who were given citizenship with no fingerprints submitted at all.

At least one new citizen was already in jail by the time he was naturalized under the Clinton administration program.

According to Schippers's 1999 book, "Sell Out," Jamie Gorelick was tasked with expediting the new rules under which criminal background checks were suspended for new immigrants.

[anniegetyourgun]

Wowzers....wonder if Ms. G. is feeling the burn...

[Tuxedo]

Things that make you go "Hmmm..."

[abc1]

Another brick in the load ........

[lucyblue]

WOW-BUMP!

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

This commission has been infiltrated with those who have a stake... or a behind to protect!

[oceanview]

will any of the Republican committee members go here during Freeh's testimony? I won't hold my breath.

[The South Texan]

If the media will cover this, Gorelick will have a bad week. Unfortunately, the only place you will see this is on FR and Newsmax.

[Steve_Seattle]

"Wowzers....wonder if Ms. G. is feeling the burn..."

Highly unlikely. Since this story implicates the Clinton administration rather than the Bush administration, it is not likely to grow "legs." The mainstream media will probably ignore it.

[GraniteStateConservative]

You don't want to make the Dems hate us. They love us now. It's such a precarious position we're in. You understand, right?

[McGavin999]

Hmmmm, the 9-11 Commission comes under suspicion for endangering the country. Wonder if the commissioners are going to be questioned?

[mewzilla]

She should be, and not just for this. Pity no-one gave a damn about the various conflicts-of-interest that so many of the commission members seem to have.

[RetiredArmy]

Nope. Your right. The republicans in congress are as weakkneeded as a Seattle homosexual.

[isthisnickcool]

Gorelick should not be on the commission. She is a partisan political hack! And should be fired from the commission.

For that matter, George Stephanopolous should should not be on ABC acting like a journalist. He is a partisan political hack! And should be fired.

Neither one of these things will happen.

[nkycincinnatikid]

When questioning Ms Rice, Goerlick looked like a vacuous grinning maneqin. Though trying to shift the blame for 9/11 to the Bush administration from her own, you could see that she wasn't even buying her own baloney.

[TomGuy]

former FBI Director Louis Freeh revealed on Monday, suggesting that Gorelick did little to remedy the situation

If it weren't for the fact that our National Security, sovereignty and survival are at stake, all these finger pointing would be funny.

I still remember reading the summer of 2000 Congressional Joint Intelligence Committee report. It spoke of various terrorist threats and organizations and persons. Congress knew, even then that al-Qaeda/bin Laden was just one of the potential problems.

All this fingerpointing and blamegame is idiotic. It's all bluster. Not much will come of it. It is all a political game.

[Solson]

Only if she reads Newsmax. While the mainstream media continues to send the sharks after Bush, any stories like this will never see the sun.

We FReepers get all giddy when we see these stories. But they go nowhere.

[TX Bluebonnet]

Its' a no-brainer that she should NOT be on this commission. Who appointed her? And how did her appointment get through? What is wrong with these people?

[BlueAngel]

How can this women be on the commission? The republicans need to shout from the rooftops but of course, that will never happen.

[thoughtomator]

Why are members of the Clinton admin on the panel in the first place? His Whitewater lawyer, Ben-Veniste, is also on the panel.