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.

[Steve_Seattle]

Most of the 9-11 terrorists were in and out of the country over a period of several years, if I recall correctly. It took time for them to attend flight school, etc. They didn't all just show up at the last minute.

[faithincowboys]

Freeh should mention the Gore Commision on Aviation and how it was basically not worth the paper it was written on-- no bolted cockpit doors and no deadline to comply with the few, serious safety regulations that the Commish recommended. Freeh should bring that up.

[eddiespaghetti]

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

You got that right! That seems to be the # 1 priority for some commissioners.

[mware]

Is this the same Gorelick that was grilling Dr. Rice???

NOOOOOOO, isn't any bias in that committee!!!!!!

[Rocket1968]

Bump

[DLfromthedesert]

I wish we could turn the tables and have Dr. Rice interrogate this bimbo.

[johnb838]

Definition: Gore-lick, after a key political ally of Al Gore who recently held a patronage position at Fannie Mae. 1) An exemplar of a certain kind of Washington ideal: the party mandarin who reaps the rewards of loyal service. Usage: e.g., "a gore-lick" as in, "Dickie Clarke is an unabashed gore-lick"

[Wally_Kalbacken]

Just to provide a complete version of the "Six Degrees of George Stephanopolous" - allow me to repeat this:

In Stephanopoulos' White House memoir he includes his recollection of a scene at the White House on the day the O.J. Simpson criminal trial verdict was coming down. He sets the scene with Clinton, Stephanopolous and Jamie Gorelick watching a TV monitor in one office of the White House - nervously anticipating a conviction. Stephanopoulos relates that Gorelick had in her hand a drafted statement to be read in the White House press room in a few moments after an O.J. conviction. The statement was to announce a federal civil rights investigation into Mark Fuhrman - as an attempt to mollify what the White House expected was going to be rioting in the streets in L.A. and elsewhere. Of course she never had to read that statement.

If she's going to argue for Condoleezza Rice supplying the text of the speech she never read on the afternoon of 9/11, then I think it would be nice for someone to mine the archives of the Clinton Administration and find the text of the statement Gorelick was prepared to read but never had to due to the shocking acquittal of O.J.. Simpson. Nothing says "political hack" like having ginned up a federal civil rights investigation simple as a political antidote to thugs rioting in the streets. And the best part is that while Gorelick could be wasting her time trying to smooth out the concerns of Maxine Waters, et. al., she couldn't be bothered to investigate the possible Federal prosecution of O.J. Simpson on Federal Conspiracy to commit murder charges, or for violation (in the extreme) of the civil rights of Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown.

 

 

[CyberAnt]

I'll tell ya what makes me go Hmmmm?

WHAT THE HELL IS A MEMBER OF THE CLINTON ADMIN DOING ON THE COMMISSION IN THE FIRST PLACE ..??

[NonValueAdded]

What is she doing on a commission investigating her own actions??? She should recuse herself immediately. This isn't duck hunting or a golf game - her hands appear to be dirty and she should not be allowed to continue in a position to cover up or fail to fully investigate her own actions or those of her peers. She should know this - wasn't she part of the "most ethical administration in history?" </sarcasm> We all have our reservations with the transparently partisan actions of Ben-Veniste and Kerrey but at least neither one was in a policy position during the period in question.

[Quilla]

The Airline Commission DID have strict regulations recommended for the airlines to secure cockpits, regs that would have cost the airlines a fortune. Gore tossed them for $500,000 in campaign donations from those same airline.

[CyberAnt]

Who recommended her for the commission ..??

I know Ben-Venista was a Daschle choice (which should explain a lot).

[elbucko]

Freeh should bring that up.

If Freeh spilled all he knows, he'll need to be in the Witness Protection Program or the Democrats will whack him. They might anyway. Sing like a canary, Louie! Then lay very, very, low.

[CyberAnt]

Not true! Many of the larger media outlets have quoted "FreeRepublic" as a source for a story.

We can either sit here and whine, or get our email humming - sending these stories everywhere. We can make a difference .. but it won't happen if we just sit here and whine "stories go nowhere" - WHERE ARE YOU SENDING THEM ..??

FReepers must understand what the demographics mean when they send an email .. IT REPRESENTS THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE - and the media well knows it.

[faithincowboys]

I'm telling you, If I were Freeh I would go out guns blazing. If he does, get prepared for Ben-Veniste to mention impeachment and how much money was spent and how it distracted from the War on Terror. Get ready, this is going to get nasty.

[faithincowboys]

I'm not sure even Gore's first tough one had those regs, but if they did Team Bush should be all over that. I am also interested to know why Saint Richard Clarke didn't resign over that. In addition, did Clarke consult with the Commish. It seems inconceiveable to me that a Commish on Airline Security dealing primarily with Counter-terrorism wouldn't consult with the Terrorist Czar. The media and this phony 9-11 Commission gave Clarke a total pass. The fix is in.

[jackbill]

Its' a no-brainer that she should NOT be on this commission. Who appointed her?

Daschle and Gephardt jointly named all five of the RATs on the commission.

[ravingnutter]

Wow...I had just posted the following info on another thread from a search I had done:

From a 2000 story:

Al Gore was the Administration's point man in charge of the plan developed in early 1996 to put a million aliens on the fast track to citizenship even if they didn't qualify and even if they had criminal records. Gore was responsible for keeping the pressure on INS to make sure the aliens were naturalized by September 1, the last day to register for the presidential election.

Source

From Sep 20 2001:

One senior government official said this week that some of the highest-level members of the Clinton administration asked Vice President Al Gore to take over the issue [of terrorism], possibly heading a high-visibility panel to push it to the front of the national agenda. It never happened.

Source

Then I posted the following with the comments "Holy cow...look whose name popped up":

However, the IG report also said its investigation revealed that at least one official at the National Performance Review office "believed that the [citizenship] program had a deadline that was directly connected to the upcoming election."

That official, Douglas Farbrother, raised his concerns with Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick and senior INS officials in March 1996 that the program was behind schedule.

Source

More damning info on Gorelick I found this morning:

Gorelick, formerly the number two person in the Clinton Justice Department is a Democratic appointee to the Commission charged with preparing a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Gorelick was an inappropriate choice for that position because she is a partner in the Washington law firm of Wilmer, Cutler & Pickering. According to Newsweek, Wilmer, Cutler represents Prince Mohammed al Faisal in the suit by the 9/11 families. The families contend that al Faisal has legal responsibility for the 9/11 attacks.

Source

While the source is a web blog, it seems to be thoroughly researched with links to legitimate stories that back it up. It also questions whether Zelikow should also resign.

[bannie]

I can't help my immaturity whenever it is mentioned that Gorelick was the Deputy U.S. Attorney General in the Clinton administration...GORE LICK, for Heaven's sake!!! And the icing on that proverbial cake is that his first name is Jaime!!!

Just too d#*%!@d funny!!! (But I'm easily entertained.)

[elbucko]

...that "we have big systemic problems.

We sure do, and they're called Democrats!