Pentagon Blocks Testimony at Senate Hearing on Terrorist (Able Danger Hearing)

The New York Times ^ | September 20, 2005 | PHILIP SHENON and ANNE E. KORNBLUT

[4mor3]

September 20, 2005 Pentagon Blocks Testimony at Senate Hearing on Terrorist By PHILIP SHENON WASHINGTON, Sept. 20 - The Pentagon said today that it had blocked a group of military officers and intelligence analysts from testifying at an open Congressional hearing about a highly classified military intelligence program that, the officers have said, identified a ringleader of the Sept. 11 attacks as a potential terrorist more than a year before the attacks.

The announcement came a day before the officers and intelligence analysts had been scheduled to testify about the program, known as Able Danger, at a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Bryan Whitman, a Defense Department spokesman, said in a statement that open testimony about the program "would not be appropriate - we have expressed our security concerns and believe it is simply not possible to discuss Able Danger in any great detail in an open public forum." He offered no other detail on the Pentagon's reasoning in blocking the testimony.

Senator Arlen Specter, the Pennsylvania Republican who is chairman of the committee, said he was surprised by the Pentagon's decision because "so much of this has already been in the public domain, and I think that the American people need to know what happened here."

[Blzbba]

"If Able Danger is effectively snuffed out, the days of believing we are a self governing republic are gone and everything the government black-ops conspiracy theorists warned us about are true."


It is both sad and obvious that their paranoia is now justified unless we miraculously get the truth.

[texasbluebell]

One thing is that a nice handful of journalists already appreciate that a Pulitzer awaits the one the breaks this open. Don't think only Woodstein. Think Sy Hersch, David Halberstam, and others.

I never thought I'd be rooting for any journalist at this point after all their shenanigans, but this would be the story of the century, if someone has the nerve to really dig for it.

[bw17]

"Bluntly, it just did not happen,"--Slade Gorton


Then why is the Pentagon blocking testimony about something that didn't happen?

Somebody needs to ask Gorton this question.

[Blzbba]

"No. He's got something to hide as well."


Given his seeming unwillingness to pursue this, Yep.

[smoothsailing]

Tomorrows C-SPAN schedule
http://inside.c-spanarchives.org:8080/cspan/fullschedule.csp?timeid=211994040703

Interesting archived info about tomorrows 9:30 hearing
http://inside.c-spanarchives.org:8080/cspan/cspan.csp?command=dprogram&record=187366496

Senate Committee
Able Danger and Intelligence Sharing Judiciary
Washington, District of Columbia
(United States)
ID: 188974 - 09/21/2005 - 3:00 - No Sale

Specter, Arlen, U.S. Senator, R-PA Members of a Defense Department intelligence section known as 'Able Danger' warned top military generals that it had uncovered information of increased al-Qaeda activity in Aden harbor less than three weeks before the attack on the USS Cole.

[TVenn]

PHONE NUMBERS



http://clerk.house.gov/members/mcapdir.html


HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
of the UNITED STATES

ONE HUNDRED NINTH CONGRESS September 16, 2005

Compiled by JEFF TRANDAHL, Clerk of the House of Representatives
http://clerk.house.govRepublicans in roman; Democrats in italic; Independent underlined Resident Commissioner and Delegates in boldface.

All phone numbers are in area code (202).

[Mr Cobol]

Seems like they can't substantiate it at this point. They need to start naming names. Shafer and Weldon have been on talk shows they haven't given anything new except that Shafer can't talk or testify.

[oceanview]

its not a subpoena - its an invitation to speak at this point. if it becomes a subpoena, the rules change.

[Dolphy]

if sources and methods are going to end up being revealed, especially those which we are still using, then I don't have a problem with this mainly because we MIGHT get those people killed or those methods may not be as effective.....

Exactly. I'm a bit surprised that more aren't recognizing this. It seem rather simplistic to view this as a historical/isolated event without ongoing risks to either people or methods. I would hope someone is considering those security questions. I am not entirely sold that this is what's going on but for the moment I'll give Rumsfeld and Bush the benefit of the doubt.

[Blzbba]

"Which I doubt based on the outcome."



There's much about 9-11 that can now be questioned, if you ask me.

[Blzbba]

"And that makes me ask, the AD team knows where it goes and they ain't telling, why?"


The answer is painfully obvious, I'm afraid.

[Pyncho]

I think Specter's comment that the witnesses seem already credible to him has now put this on automatic pilot with journalists, and with their hungriest editors. The MSM and Washington insiders can no sooner control this now - what IS there - than they could control Watergate in its fledgling stages. There is NO reason to be gloomy now, none at all.

[MJY1288]

OK, Thanks! My bet is that Weldon will make sure they are subpoenaed

[sport]

"It would appear that some prominent Repubs are in on this covering up as well. "

True.

And from what I have seen, I believe that the Clintons and Bushs are closer kin than I would like.

[plain talk]

Not exactly the end of the world. Then they should have CLOSED hearings then and publish the bottom line of findings leaving out classified info.

[texasbluebell]

There is NO reason to be gloomy now, none at all.

Some days I have no hope that we can stop this train wreck.

I sure hope you're right!

[Republic]

Thanks for the lift. I truly believe it is horrible for individuals involved in this info gathering to have to bear a burden so great...a burden that goes to their FUTILE attempts to get the proper authorities to take action regarding the muslim cell atta worked in...our senators and congressmen should be grown up enough to understand how important it is that we all know the background of 9/11.

[Pyncho]

There is also no such thing as a closed hearing when journalists smell Pulitzer. The Pentagon Papers, after all, were classified. There are young journalists who have no truck with the status quo who could care less about closedness and classifiedness. Reputations are to be made, and that's a powerful scent. As long as Weldon doesn't blow up in public and is helpful behind the scenes, this will unfold in its own true course - as long as there is a THERE there (terrabytes in a drawer).

[Just mythoughts]

The journalists had such a Pulitzer opportunity over Sandy Burglar and the 9/11 Commission. I am not counting on journalists on this one as we are talking Clintons reign.

[Crim]

Except for one small thing...data mining from public sources ISNT classified.....there is nothing there that can be shown to be of a secret nature...

Able danger did one thing many of us have allready been doing....connecting dots...

The dots connected lead to china gate....

The reason the Reps arent pursuing it?

because the chinese bribe everyone a little...and the ones they need an action from...alot...

This way...anyone who tries to raise a stink....is shown a cashed check stub and told to shut up...

That's why china-gate went nowhere the first time.....there was plenty of proof to hang the Dems on...problem was....some reps took money too....most times I'm sure not even knowing where it came from...

The cover up of china gate led to 9/11 not being stopped when it could have....

The only question is...is there still anyone patriotic enough to leak the info...