[Senator] Specter asks probe of Iraq links to WTC-Okla. attacks

Philadelphia Daily News ^ | Sat, Oct. 05, 2002 | ROSE DeWOLF

[flamefront]

U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter is calling for a probe into allegations of a possible Iraqi connection between the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the bombing of the federal building in Oklahoma City six years earlier.

Specter said he has no plans to pursue the investigation himself, however, but has written to FBI Director Robert Mueller suggesting that the possible connection is worth pursuing.

Earlier this week, Daily News columnist Michael Smerconish wrote a column about the connection theory, which grew out of reports by Jayna Davis, a former television reporter from Oklahoma City who was one of the first on the scene of the Oklahoma bombing.

Davis has investigated early reports about a dark-haired accomplice to convicted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. The accomplice, identified in a drawing put out by the FBI as "John Doe No. 2," bares a resemblance to an ex-Iraqi soldier who lived in Oklahoma City, Davis learned. And the reporter subsequently came up with evidence indicating that Iraqi nationals were involved in the bombing of the Murrah Federal Building.

"I'm a little surprised that this hasn't gotten more attention, given that there is so much concern about whether Iraq has any connections anywhere," Specter said.

According to Smerconish, Davis has 80 pages of affidavits and 2,000 supporting documents to support her theory.

"Who knows?" said Specter, adding that he felt Davis' information should not be overlooked. His key assistant, Tom Swanton, drafted the letter to the FBI, which states that his staff had earlier contacted both the FBI and the Justice Department requesting a briefing on the issues raised by Davis' allegations, but they were rebuffed.

Specter plans to meet with Davis on Thursday.

[Mr. Mojo]

As do I.

[baseballmom]

This is what my post should have looked like. Sorry for making your eyes glaze over. :-)

Posted by baseballmom to glorygirl; PhilDragoo; ~Kim4VRWC's~; hoi-polloi; Jim Robinson; OKCSubmariner; honway; backhoe; ...

On News/Activism Oct 4 4:43 PM #139 of 192

UPDATE - MICHAEL SMERCONISH RADIO SHOW 10-4-02 4:20pm

Michael just announced on his show that he was in receipt of a fax letter from Sen Arlen Spector (whom he knows well) replying to him re: Jayna Davis info. This gist of the leter is:

Dear Director Meuller!!!! Spector told him he was in receipt of the FULL FILE of Jayna Davis in which it is alleged that Iraqi nationals (and perhaps Al Qada) were involved in OKC bombings. Jayna contacted his office with the information. **slight paraphrasing** here - *It is my understanding that members of my staff contacted your office requesting briefings on this matter - and were rebuffed.** It is also my understanding that briefings were offered to James Woolsey and he delined the offer. In light of the congressional hearings going on, don't you think this matter requires further investigating.** A CC was sent to John Ashcroft.

Michael said info of this letter would be made public in a statement later today by Spector's office.

Michael also said that Spector would welcome Jayna to his office, and Michael asked him if he could sit in on the conference WITH MICROPHONES. Spector said yes, and now Michael is working on broadcasting this radio show. He said "Don't miss the show next week."

Also, apparently, this is getting lots of play. Michael mentioned that it was on the FREE REPUBLIC website, Lucianne, and another that I forgot to write down. But that the internet was abuzz with this infor. And he has received literally 1000's of e-mails about this subject since Wednesday, when he had Jayna on his show.

PS. I copied and pasted the recipients names from various posts. If I neglected to post anyone that you know is interested, please ping them for me. Thanks. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[SauronOfMordor]

And naturally McVeigh was executed shortly after his conviction, so there's no chance of getting any info out of him as to who else might have been involved

[GirlShortstop]

Thanks a bunch 'mom... nice job bringing us up to date.

I hope work doesn't interfere with hearing the show ©¿©

[concerned about politics]

Speaking of Senators.....anyone know if the SCOTUS showed up to work today? A post last night was saying that if they did, Toricelli may still be on. Any info? Anyone?

[jd777]

There was a major rush to execute McVeigh. And there was a Time magazine article reporting that dozens of FBI field offices withheld thousands of documents on OKC (for no apparent resaon) And then we had the media Blitz condemning " dangeorus white men" for this hideous attack on our country.

[the crow]

banning OKCSubmariner sucks BUMP!

if it were not for people like him doggedly pursuing the story, it never would have gotten this far.

and surprise, suprise: it seems he may be right.

he is due an apology.

[honway]

Link

It is very likely that next week the Fox News Channel will interview David Schippers and he will share with the viewers that he has an affidavit from a government official stating that the official has viewed a surveillance videotape from the vicinity of the Murrah Building and the tape records two people in the Ryder truck.

This information about the affidavit was first posted in an article at the above link.

[savedbygrace]

He doesn't appear to be currently banned, but his last post was on 9/9/02.

[McGruff]

OKCSubmariner signed up 2000-06-13.
This account has been banned.

Incidentally I became convinced after this.

Jim Quinn interview David Shippers and Janya Davis concerning OKC terrorist connection(6/27/02).

[GirlShortstop]

there's no chance of getting any info out of him as to who else might have been involved

True... I too thought "end of story", however after reading an interesting article by Stephen Jones in Litigation Magazine Spring 2002 I've come to believe that information *is* available about a conspiracy beyond McVeigh and Nichols. The magazine article is hard copy, but here's a snippet from a transcript of an ABC GMA interview with Mr. Jones:

Mr. Jones, good to have you back with us.
Mr. STEPHEN JONES (Timothy McVeigh's Former Attorney): Thank you, Charlie.
GIBSON: When Timothy McVeigh says he essentially acted alone carrying out this bombing, do you think he's lying?
Mr. JONES: I do. I--I think that it's contrary to the evidence in the case and--and I'm able to tell you that now because he's clearly has waived the attorney-client privilege with this book.
GIBSON: You think there was someone with him when he rented the truck?
Mr. JONES: I do.
STEPHEN JONES, TIMOTHY MCVEIGH'S FORMER ATTORNEY, TALKS ABOUT SECRETS ~ peculiar site with transcript

[Eva]

I am sure that is the case. It has been the Bush policy to not allow such information to come from the administration, but he is only too happy to see outsiders pursue this. I think that it is going to take a Democrat to pull this information out of Ashcroft, so that the DNC can't claim a right wing conspiracy.

[rwfromkansas]

I have to ask yet again...I agree with Robert and would really appreciate it if you reinstated him.

[what's up]

Spectre made his career on conspiracies. Didn't he serve on the Warren commission (investigating JFK's death...didn't come up with anything).

[prisoner6]

TIN FOIL HAT STUFF!!!??? Good Lord I've posted more than my share of TFH stuff, always tongue in cheek! This nanny stuff is really beginning to irk me, and I've been around here a long time!

Have the nannies forgotten this from the FR front page?

And we always have fun doing it. Hoo-yah!

This is why conservatives have so much trouble in elections! We almost never unite and over look the little stuff.

It's all eschoir's fault, and dang him I'll get even one of these days!

What the heck is more important...the forum or the conservative cause?

prisoner6

[rwfromkansas]

"A Pentagon civilian official has provided a formal affidavit stating that the Pentagon official viewed a surveillance tape video showing a Ryder truck and its occupants moments before it was used to bomb the Murrah Federal Building in OKC on April 19, 1995. The official further states that the Pentagon official saw in the video a Middle Eastern man closely resembling the Iraqi and McVeigh accomplice, Al Hussaini, exiting the Ryder truck when it was parked in front of the Murrah Building.

A copy of the official's affidavit is in the possession of Chicago attorney David Schippers, the attorney for the House Managers during the Clinton impeachment proceedings."

That is from a Briley article from here: http://www.sianews.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=189

VERY interesting....

Let's contact Fox and make sure they interview Schippers next week.

To honway: do you have contacts that indicate Fox will interview Schippers next week?

[RangerVetNam]

I listen to Michael Smerkonish a bit and I think what changed is that he was going to Curt Weldon with this and Specter wanted to get on the bandwagon first. Smerkonish is not going to let this go until it is resolved one way or the other.

[The Great Satan]

And I'm also surprised that we haven't been playing up Saddam's connections to al Qaeda and 9/11.

Your surprise stems from the fact that you haven't thought it through fully. The way to think about it is to bring the possibility into focus, take it seriously for the sake of argument, then see what follows.

Okay, say Saddam is "connected" to 9/11. What exactly does "connected" mean? Does it seem likely that Saddam Hussein, supposedly a "survivor," a "pragmatist," and certainly a sitting duck for US retaliation, would simply allow himself to be loosely "connected" with an ultra-sophisticated plot to destroy the WTC, the Capitol and the White House? And if his "connection" is not so "loose," if in fact he was the actual author and mastermind behind this and other acts of revenge against the United States, how could he do that without facing certain death at the hands of the US military? And, why hasn't the US retaliated against him?

If you've been reading the newspapers and watching TV for the last month, you might be able to suggest one method by which Saddam could deter inevitable retaliation with the technical capabilities at his disposal, and thus hope to carry out such a veiled attack with some degree of impunity: his weapons of mass destruction. His existing WMD capability consists, so far as we know, of the following items: anthrax, VX gas, and botulinum toxin. And if you think back to last year, to the events which followed 9/11, you might remember that some still-unidentified person or persons sent the US political leadership a letter containing a sample of the most highly-weaponized, aerosolizable anthrax powder ever produced, accompanied by a warning: "THIS IS NEXT WE HAVE THIS ANTHRAX YOU CAN NOT STOP US."

And once you have followed all those connections and reconceptualized the events of 9/11 et seq on that basis, you will find there is no big mystery at all to why (a) removing Saddam Hussein is Bush's top post-9/11 priority, (b) Bush is taking his own sweet time about confronting Saddam, despite the clear and present danger he supposedly represents, (c) Bush is playing peek-a-boo with the evidence connecting Saddam to 9/11, (d) the feds are putting on a piss-poor effort to investigate the "puzzle" of the anthrax killings, (e) tthe US just ordered 25 million doses of anthrax vaccine to treat the civilian population after an attack.

[backhoe]

I agree with you.

[backhoe]

I sent a link to this and the other OKC bombing story today to Fox and many others. It will get seen.