Able Danger and The “Wall”: when the first responses are cover-ups and lies
Our instinct on matters of this nature is that there is something terribly rotten. The mandate of the 9-11 Commission was the most serious given to an investigative body of its nature since the Warren Commission’s investigation into the assassination of President Kennedy in 1964. Therefore, when people in high positions appear to produce lies as part of their first explanation of why potentially explosive material was not included in their findings, it seems to us that the fur is going to fly. Here’s Lee Hamilton, via Fox:
“The Sept. 11 commission (search) did not learn of any U.S. government knowledge prior to 9/11 of surveillance of Mohammed Atta or of his cell,” said Hamilton, a former Democratic congressman from Indiana. “Had we learned of it obviously it would’ve been a major focus of our investigation.”
Here’s Al Felzenberg, commission spokesman, a couple of days ago, via the NYT:
Al Felzenberg, who served as the commission’s chief spokesman, said earlier this week that staff members who were briefed about Able Danger at a first meeting, in October 2003, did not remember hearing anything about Mr. Atta or an American terrorist cell.
Ah, but these gentlemen spoke not the truth. Rather its opposite, and rather lamely. Consider this, from today’s NYT:
The Sept. 11 commission was warned by a uniformed military officer 10 days before issuing its final report that the account would be incomplete without reference to what he described as a secret military operation that by the summer of 2000 had identified as a potential threat the member of Al Qaeda [Mohammed Atta] who would lead the attacks more than a year later, commission officials said on Wednesday…..The briefing by the military officer is the second known instance in which people on the commission’s staff were told by members of the military team about the secret program, called Able Danger.
So Hamilton’s and Felzenberg’s now-inoperative statements about the Commission not having been briefed on Able Danger and Atta are mistakes or lies. We do not know where this will lead. Ineptitude and groupthink are common enough on committees. The problem with the 9-11 Commission is that they set themselves up with a conflict of interest in the person of Jamie Gorelick, so that any mistake which is exculpatory of the Clinton administration, or more specifically, elides the issue of the “wall” between law enforcement and intelligence, becomes highly suspect.
Gorelick had credibility problems on the issue of the “wall” throughout the time of the commission’s work, and was slippery and evasive about her involvement a year ago; here’s a bit from the Washington Times, in which she tries to fob off her endorsement of an enhancement to the “wall” policy back in 1995. The issue at that time was US Attorney Mary Jo White’s attempt to get closer cooperation between intelligence and law enforcement, the rejection of that policy recommendation by Deputy Director Michael Vatis, and Gorelick’s handwritten concurrence to Janet Reno. Gorelick then tried to lie about the matter:
In a handwritten note to Attorney General Janet Reno, Ms. Gorelick wrote, “I have reviewed and concur in the Vatis/Garland recommendations for the reasons set forth in the Vatis memo.” The extent of Ms. Gorelick’s involvement, spelled out in these memos, in buttressing the law enforcement-intelligence wall also raises questions about statements she has made recently defending herself and distancing herself from the decisions about the wall.
Asked by CNN’s Wolf Blitzer earlier this month about whether she had written a memo helping establish the wall, she replied: “No, and again, I would refer you back to what others on the commission have said. The wall was a creature of statute. It’s existed since the mid 1980s. And while it’s too lengthy to go into, basically the policy that was put out in the mid-’90s, which I didn’t sign, wasn’t my policy by the way, it was the attorney general’s policy, was ratified by Attorney General Ashcroft’s deputy as well in August of 2001.”
In retrospect, Gorelick’s lying about her role in the “wall” policy looks quite a bit more sinister than it did then. At that time, the “wall” appeared a generalized concern, a bad idea, but one that appeared to have had few specific consequences for the study of 9-11 itself. If Mohammed Atta was specfically protected by the “wall,” Gorelick has a degree of potentially personal culpability in the 9-11 attacks that should have made her a witness, not a member, of the Commission — more like a defendant than a judge.
(HT’s: Captain Ed and Tom McGuire)
August 11th, 2005 at 2:40 am
Who were the staffers that received this information.
I am assuming that each member of the commission would have
appointed or “approved” a certain number of staffers. That
would seem reasonable in their quest for a “bipartisan”commission.
Won’t it be great when we find out the staffers that hid this
testimony belonged to Ms. Gorelick or an understudy of the slimy
Ben-veniste. Of course I wouldn’t expect it could be one of Kerrey’s
or Roemer’s Clinton Administration protecting boys and girls. Of
course Hamilton was first out of chute with denials.
Very interesting - but the last weeks of August is not the best
time to put this out. Rep. Weldon must demand a complete investigation
by both the House and the Senate and public hearings.
Weldon cannot let the Dems try to hold these behind closed doors.
Any chance this will finally shame Albright, Holbrook, Sandy, Wendy,
Nancy and the rest of the Clintonistas.
Wonder what Hill is doing tonight?
August 11th, 2005 at 7:14 pm
Dr. Sanity: A Motive For Berger’s Bizarre Behavior?
In A Motive For Berger’s Bizarre Behavior?, Dr. Sanity has a very worthwhile post discussing some of the Clinton era officials’ connections to the 9-11 attacks, and the recent revelations about Able Danger. I’ll have more to say about this,
August 13th, 2005 at 4:42 am
Why on earth would a man,who I think was in semi retirement, feel compulsed to visit a museum and steal documents by sticking them down his socks? Must have been very big! I will be very interested to what the (hopefully) next investigation of this matter produces. Why is Berger still wandering about freely? I think that if I stole documents via my socks I would be in jail by now. Thanks.
August 13th, 2005 at 3:20 pm
You brainwashed fools are still mired in the IRRELEVANT minutae of 911 — per plan. As they anticipated you are needlessly mired in the minutae of 911 — just like JFK. Learn from the past or you will be doomed to repeat it.
They mix in crumbs of truth and enough fantasy relating to the how, what, where, and when in an attempt to FALSELY create CREDIBILITY for themselves.
However, they ALWAYS intentionally mislead and disinform on the WHO and WHY. Hope you enjoy being lost in the rabbit hole and masturbating your mind thinking you are onto something.
The WHOS are the only important issue relating to 911 and its that elephant in the corner stupid — called ZIONISM.
Who owns & operates the media — that is why these SPY stories involving ISRAEL are buried or never pursued. Anytime Michael Moore is involved you should be aware that ZION spinning is going on. These ZIONISTS thrive on controlling ALL sides of an issue. When light is put on them they wilt back into the hidey holes (like ISRAEL) where they belong. They create the fake “conspiracy theories” so their chums can later debunk them and look “gifted”. All sides are the same side.
1. What do the following have in common: Clinton, Condit, Mc Greevy and 4 star general Byrnes ???
2. What do the following have in common: Lewinsky, Levy, and Cippel ???
the answer to #1 is: They were all duped into a MOSSAD honey trap.
the answer to #2 is: They are all MOSSAD agents and all happen to be self identified practicers of judaism. Only 1.9% of the US population identifies themselves as practicing judasim. This is beyond coincidence. What about all the school shooters ??? Thank goodness they removed this COMPROMISED 4 star general from his post. There are still some patriots left in the FBI, CIA, and DIA that have not been deluded / fooled by the ZION lies.
DONT LET THE ZION MEDIA SHILLS / WHORES distract from the reality that the MOSSAD has been trying to deceive our nation into fighting israels enemies for some time — including their complicity in 911. PURGE THE ZION TRAITORS including the scumbags FRANKLIN, ROSEN, and WEISSMAN.
Don’t believe the ZION lies about BUSH. They are attempting to take down another president.
FYI — another ZION shill was arrested yesterday before he could flee to the criminal haven called ISRAEL — Abramoff. Looking forward to the next shill indictment of SAYANIM NOVAK.
ZIONISTS are ANTI 1st amendment and ANTI 2nd amendment and they are also ANTI AMERICAN.
The #1 terrorist / spy organization in the USA continues to operate openly in Washington DC — its called AIPAC.
Imagine this: In the middle of our ‘war on terror,’ a foreign government (Israel) has spies who have infiltrated the highest levels of the Department of Defense.
Larry Franklin, Rosen, Weissman and the AXIS of ADL, AIPAC, and ISRAELI TRAITORS / ESPIONAGE — all indicted.
ZIONIST Douglas Feith (the architect of the IRAQ war and the boss of indicted spy Larry Franklin) resigned August 9th, 2005 and has fled the country. This story was also buried.
Who owns the MEDIA, the VOTE COUNTING MACHINES, the MILITARY, the POLITICIANS, the FEDERAL RESERVE ??? Research it to get ENLIGHTENED.
The sudden use of “HOMELAND” instead of “our country” or “our nation” – is word warfare. Why are we not talking about protecting our country or our nation? I’ll tell you why. We are no longer to think of the USA as a sovereign nation – we are to think of ourselves as having a “homeland” in the ZIONIST government. Ironically, “HOMELAND SECURITY” is run by a dual US-ISRAELI citizen named Michael Chertoff.
Those who think this is going to far – have no idea of the heartless, ruthless psycho-warfare propagandists we should be fighting.
Remove these dual citizens from critical posts in the USA government IMMEDIATELY — such as Michael Chertoff. NO MORE dual loyalties. This is a war — not pattie cakes with your playground chums. “WAR THROUGH DECEPTION”
“No one censors speech they agree with.”
February 8th, 2006 at 7:12 am
[...] rmer Clinton administration officials and spineless RINOs. I think it was no accident that Jamie Gorelick was appointed to the comm [...]