Gorelick Memo Exposes 'Feckless' Clinton Policy

insightmag.com ^

[Sub-Driver]

Gorelick Memo Exposes 'Feckless' Clinton Policy Posted April 13, 2004 By Kenneth R. Timmerman

In a dramatic moment of his testimony before the 9/11 commission this afternoon, Attorney General John Ashcroft released a previously classified memo from 1995 that instructed the FBI and U.S. Attorneys around the country to ensure they had "walled off" overseas intelligence information from domestic crime-fighters. The separation between overseas intelligence gathering and domestic criminal prosecution has been widely criticized by both Democrats and Republicans on the committee for having helped make the 9/11 attacks possible.

"[T]he simple fact of Sept. 11 is this," Ashcroft testified: "We did not know an attack was coming because for nearly a decade our government had blinded itself to its enemies. Our agents were isolated by government-imposed walls, handcuffed by government-imposed restrictions, and starved for basic information technology. The old national intelligence system in place on Sept. 11 was destined to fail."

Ashcroft went on to explain the "wall" that had been erected between criminal investigators and intelligence agents was "the single greatest structural cause for Sept. 11 [successes by al-Qaeda]." He said, "Government erected this wall. Government buttressed this wall. And before Sept. 11, government was blinded by this wall."

Ashcroft then described the 1995 memo that initially established the wall, which later impeded the investigations of the 9/11 hijackers and their accomplices. When frustrated field agents complained to headquarters about it in August 2001, Justice replied: "'These are the rules.' ... But somebody did make these rules," Ashcroft said. "Someone built this wall."

Then the attorney general dropped his bombshell: "Although you understand the debilitating impact of the wall, I cannot imagine that the commission knew about this memorandum, so I have declassified it for you and the public to review. Full disclosure compels me to inform you that its author is a member of this commission."

The 1995 memo by then Deputy Attorney General Jamie S. Gorelick - now a member of the 9/11 commission - explains that the new rules dictated by the Clinton administration to separate criminal investigations from intelligence gathering "go beyond what is legally required." The Gorelick rules were meant to ensure that "no 'proactive' investigative efforts or technical coverages" of terrorist suspects be carried out on U.S. soil.

The result of the 1995 Gorelick rules, Ashcroft said, were devastating, and hampered the ability of U.S. intelligence agencies to communicate the identify of two of the 9/11 hijackers to law-enforcement agencies, even after they had entered the United States. That failure specifically contributed to 9/11.

[Mike Bates]

We can expect this to be buried real, real deep in the press.

[Paleo Conservative]

Then the attorney general dropped his bombshell: "Although you understand the debilitating impact of the wall, I cannot imagine that the commission knew about this memorandum, so I have declassified it for you and the public to review. Full disclosure compels me to inform you that its author is a member of this commission."

[mabelkitty]

Come see - this should make you very happy ; )

[swilhelm73]

Well, the press has been looking for a smoking gun for a while...and here it is.

Perhaps Ms Gorelick should be compelled to apologize to the American public? Not in a fake, come by my book, manner ala Clarke either...

[muawiyah]

Does Jamie S. Gorelick perhaps "share" some of the boyfriends the former mayor of Portland found so entertaining?

[Izzy Dunne]

Well, the press has been looking for a smoking gun for a while...and here it is.

You, sir, are an incurable optimist if you think the (mainstream) press will report this as a smoking gun - NBC has already reported it as "Ashcroft desperately covering Bush's failings"

[Montaignes Cat]

Was there a camera on Gorelick during this part of Ashcroft's remarks? She had to know what was coming. Was she sweating and looking around guiltily?

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

We need a megaping on this. Can we get this moved to Breaking news?

[Just mythoughts]

Jamie S. Gorelick sits on the wrong side of the table!

She along with Hillry need their "terrorists first" behinds to answer for their actions.

[swilhelm73]

My post shouldn't be read to mean the press will go forward with real story. The press will continue covering for the Dems.

This is however, by far, the most important information to come out fo the 9/11 hearings. It is a smoking gun - and should lead, at a minuimum, to Gorelick's immediate resignation from the committee (and a public apology).

Now Gorelick's name can be added to that of Clinton and Clarke as to why America's security services failed.

[Izzy Dunne]

Squeeze rodent here for the NBC story.

[DefCon]

see posted here

[Izzy Dunne]

should lead, at a minuimum, to Gorelick's immediate resignation from the committee (and a public apology).

Resignation and apology both require:
1... Knowledge of a correct path.
2... Knowledge that one's own path was not correct.
3... A sense of empathy with another person who might have been damaged by one's choices.

Do you sense any of these from Madame G. ?

(I don't have a TV, so I haven't seen her).

[DefCon]

My bad

Freeh: Gorelick Ignored Terror Warnings

Gorelick Memo Declassified (Graphics of 4 page document)

[Fedora]

Thanks! :) Score one for our side! The other day Gorelick and Ben-Veniste and Kerrey were complaining about files not being declassified, I bet they're rethinking that now :)

[cwb]

When you think about her positions at both Justice and the DoD, she had tremendous influence over the 2 most important resources on the war on terror. She not only treated terrorism as a criminal/legal matter within the domestic law enforcement community, her position as General Counsel with DoD also influenced military decisions abroad... introducing extreme legalese into military operations before any action could be taken.

[TheErnFormerlyKnownAsBig]

I know it was posted earlier but I, like many others, were not watching the hearings and some were at work and I think putting this in breaking news would be a good idea so more people will be exposed to this story.

[CyberCowboy777]

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[HairOfTheDog]

Was there a camera on Gorelick during this part of Ashcroft's remarks? She had to know what was coming. Was she sweating and looking around guiltily?

Looking forward to the answer to that question! I missed today's testimony too.... (at work)