Tearful FBI Agent Apologizes To Sept. 11 Families and Victims

CNSNEWS.com ^ | 5/30/02 | Jeff Johnson

[kattracks]

Capitol Hill (CNSNews.com) - In a memorandum written 91 days before the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, an FBI agent warned that Americans would die as a result of the bureau's failure to adequately pursue investigations of terrorists living in the country.

FBI Special Agent Robert Wright, Jr, who wrote the memo, led a ten-year investigation into terrorist money laundering in the United States.

Wright began crying as he concluded his remarks at a Washington press conference Thursday. "To the families and victims of September 11th - on behalf of [FBI Special Agents] John Vincent, Barry Carmody, and myself -- we're sorry," Wright said before walking out of the room.

Vincent and Carmody have also expressed a desire to expose information regarding alleged FBI missteps prior to Sept. 11.

Wright's June 9, 2001 "Mission Statement" memo warned, "Knowing what I know, I can confidently say that until the investigative responsibilities for terrorism are transferred from the FBI, I will not feel safe.

"The FBI has proven for the past decade it cannot identify and prevent acts of terrorism against the United States and its citizens at home and abroad," Wright continued. "Even worse, there is virtually no effort on the part of the FBI's International Terrorism Unit to neutralize known and suspected international terrorists living in the United States."

The summary of Wright's attempts to expose the alleged failures of the FBI's anti-terrorism efforts ended with a solemn conclusion.

"Unfortunately, more terrorist attacks against American interests -- coupled with the loss of American lives -- will have to occur before those in power give this matter the urgent attention it deserves," he wrote.

More to come.

[T Roosevelt]

I agree - this was a bipartisan effort.

[sinkspur]

But the bin Laden surveillance is secondary to the Al Queda surveillance that was removed, as well as the discussions Bush implemented with the Taliban (Clinton had no discussions.

What "discussions" did the Bush administration have with the Taliban? (Oh, and reference a reputable site, not the Alex Jones show.) And, what alQaeda surveillance was removed? (Again, not from the BBC or a Brit source that quotes "high-level sources).

Ashcroft never did serve in the military, so it is ludicrous to expect him to step down.

The fact that you have to resort to a gratuitous remark like this shows how vapid your arguments are.

[Steve_Seattle]

"the FBI has proven for the past decade that it cannot identify and prevent acts of terrorism"

He says the problems go back a decade, which would mean that the problems went uncorrected during the entire length of the Clinton administration. Don't expect that point to get much emphasis by the mainstream press.

[hellinahandcart]

I can answer that. The search engine will not search for words under four letters long. You could try "Federal Bureau of Investigation" or different words that might appear in FBI-related thread titles. Or names, as long as they contain four letters or more.

[hellinahandcart]

For instance, I just found several articles by typing in "FBI's".

[hellinahandcart]

Try doing one on CIA, same thing happening to me. Those threads are probably "out for cleaning".

Try doing one for "cat". Now try one for "tea". You probably got the same results as you got for "CIA".

"Out for cleaning"? :D

[hellinahandcart]

I think I've cracked the code. Searched for "FBI" and "CIA" as keywords, not as a title search, and was rewarded with articles. Just select "keyword" from the pulldown menu.

[Polybius]

Yes, that's one of the reports I mentioned. You might read the report rather than depend on a Wash Times editorial. Profiling was one element of that report - I cannot confirm whether or not the WH rejected those recommendations, or the justification for a rejection (probably heavy ACLU lobbying). Regardless, the report contained many points that (eventually) the FAA watered down under heavy lobbying from the airline industry

Heavy lobbying from the airline industry?

You mean as in Linda Daschle, wife of Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle?

The FAA "was artfully manipulated--willingly or not--by the [airline] industry and their lobby groups," said U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), who for years has pushed for aviation security reform. "There is still a tendency to err on the side of protecting the industry rather than the interests of safety and security."

That lobby includes several former government officials who played key roles in transportation, including former FAA Deputy Administrator Linda Daschle, wife of Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle

[Goreknowshowtocheat]

I am disappointed that the FBI, who covered up the TWA800 story so effectively, could not come up with a mechanical flaw of some sort as to why the planes flew into the WTC. Is there no creativity left in the bureau?? Did all the writers resign when Clinton left?

[ruoflaw]

How in tarnation can you blame Bush or Ashcroft...and you should really be ashamed about pointing a finger at Mueller! When did Mueller take over the reins of the FBI??? As for the Airport Security Taskforce...Gore was in charge of that and he let them off the hook...but I think it was because they gave him big money for his Presidential campaign...a woman on that board is willing to swear to it in a court of law!

[ruoflaw]

and....let us not forget that clinton through gore ordered the flood gates to open into our country for all of those thousands of illegal aliens....many were criminals from many different countries....the FBI had attached reports of their criminal activity and they were checking on many more when the order came down to ignore the FBI reports and let those people in so they could help vote clinton into his second term....God only knows how many terrorists came though with clinton's blessing.

[Reactionary]

There's only so much you can do when the evidence presents itself as a problem, I think.

[McGavin999]

That's pretty stupid. When was the Rudman report issued, 1999? and when was the Gore recommendations made? Gore's recommendations were shot down by Clinton. You expect Bush, only 8 months in office, with all kinds of current problems at hand to go back and read up on reports that were discarded during Clinton's time? Get serious.

What we need to do is trace these field memos and find out just where they stopped in the FBI. THAT person needs to be terminated.

[CyberAnt]

Yes it does, and it is amazing that Reno was more interested in being PC than in investigating terrorists. Her memo to agents telling them they could not take the computer of the terrorist in custody for fear they would be seen as profiling, is the last straw. Her total disregard for the nation is evident. I hope this comes to light in greater detail.

[sarasmom]

And while everyone has a great good time trying to affix blame on politicians, the next strike by the actual bad guys, the ones who are truly "guilty" of committing "911", is scheduled....next.

I do not think we have the luxury of playing the political blame game right now.GWB is the current President and figurehead of the USA.Hurrah, hurrah! I pinched my nose when I voted for him and he has proven my instincts correct.Yes, he is better than Gore.

The people who can actually prevent another attack and/or DO SOMETHING are working as hard as they can to do just that.They are working 12 on, 12 off,24/7 and more.The media and the political parties, all of them, are hampering their efforts.

I don't know about you guys, but I subscribe to the lead,follow, or get the h@ll out of the way creed when faced with a crisis.As a former military "bureaucrat", I had no problem telling a couple of peacetime troops that their best option of surviving an actual wartime "need for their service" was to go AWOL.I have no doubt this advice is circulating widely in the various alphabet agencies, the media, politicians and anyone else who does not feel their country, theirselves, and their personal family's @ss is not on the line right now.

LaLaLand time is over people.Reality is here.Deal with it. It is harsh, ugly and lethal.CNN/ABC/CBS/FOX/MSNBC/New York Times and all the rest are not players, they are cotton headed observors.There is a song that hits the truth of this situation for the media and the politicians."There will be time enough for counting, when the dealings done."

[StopGlobalWhining]

and....let us not forget that clinton through gore ordered the flood gates to open into our country for all of those thousands of illegal aliens....

and....let us not forget that George W. Bush has taken no serious or credible action to close the flood gates into our country for all of those thousands of illegal aliens....

[tgslTakoma]

You have a very selective memory. Mueller became FBI director on Sept. 10, 2001.

I was of the understanding that he had been in for 4 days, not that an extra 72 hours means much.

Freeh's people were all still in place. Freeh's procedures were in place. Freeh's restrictions (held over from the Clinton administration) were in place.

Why, why, and why? Bush was in office for 7 months; why did he allow Louis Freeh to stay in his job for as long as he did? As president, Bush had the power to instruct the "leadership" within the FBI (first Freeh and then the interim director) to clear out all the Clinton appointees and put in people who could be trusted. He didn't do that. And from what I heard from Mueller yesterday, it doesn't sound like he's going to do any purging of these idiots even now.

[BufordP]

From Alan Keyes "Making Sense" Transcript, 5/20/2002:

...This idea being, though, that in the wake of the Clinton administration you would have looked at the situation of American national security -- and many people did, including myself -- and you saw tremendous holes in America`s national security, a neglect of our human intelligence gathering capabilities, a failure to have a coherent response to the terrorist attacks that have been brought against us, and a sense that something really needed to be done in order to correct those holes.

The one question that I think does hang in the air is not the silly questions the media is trying to air. What did he know? When did he know it? And all these phony suggestions that this president wouldn`t do his absolute best in response to a particular threat. Of course he would.

But that`s not the overall point. The point is, in the face of the existence of a terrorist network, real threats, actual circumstances in which they had attacked us during the Clinton years and there had not been a sufficient response to build up American strength, why wasn`t there a sense of urgency about developing our overall response and correcting the weaknesses in our national security shield, the kind of urgency, by the way, that did characterize the Reagan administration response when they came in following Jimmy Carter`s similar dismantling of America`s strength in the national security area.

And this does make a difference, by the way, the sense of urgency and priority within an administration can then call forth a response from the bureaucracy, including the intelligence bureaucracy, that is going to bring forward some of the information that might be in the system but that wasn`t served up in a timely way before September 11. ...

[GeorgeHL]

And I ,respectfully,disagree with your premise. i live in a world of men and God made men to be strong and tender but not so weak as not to be able to control emotions. Women weep,men grit their teeth and carry on. Of course it is politically correct to show man's feminine side,but to me I say this is what encourages homosexuality and that is also politically correct in this new age!

[GeorgeHL]

Did you cry in private or did you weep for the TV camersa to cover your misdeeds?