Justice's Blind Spot (August 6 memo was kept Secret from Ashcroft!)

[mobuto]

April 19 issue - The FBI was on the case—or was it? According to the newly declassified Presidential Daily Briefing (PDB) for Aug. 6, 2001, the FBI was conducting 70 "full field investigations" into Al Qaeda cells in the United States a month before the 9/11 attacks. That does not mean, however, that the FBI agents were capable of finding much suspicious activity or, if they did, that the information would ever make its way up the chain of command.

It is well known by now, for instance, that at least one FBI agent in Phoenix reported in July 2001 that an unusually large number of Middle Easterners, some with Al Qaeda ties, had enrolled in flight schools. And that the next month, the FBI started looking for two Al Qaeda suspects who turned out to be 9/11 hijackers.

--snip--

Ashcroft never saw that Aug. 6, 2001, PDB warning of an Al Qaeda attack inside the United States. Why? Because President George W. Bush, with his penchant for secrecy, had restricted the distribution of the PDB to just seven national-security officials. The A.G. didn't make the cut. On July 12, it is true, Ashcroft had been briefed by Pickard about the rising number of Al Qaeda threats abroad. But when Ashcroft inquired, "Do you have any information indicating a threat to the continental United States?" Pickard responded no.

--continued--

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4711886/

The President receives an urgent memo warning of imminent Al Qaeda attacks within the United States, and he doesn't bother to tell the Attorney General of the United States?

[JoFerret]

1. But he knew enough to avoid flying

in commercial airplanes

[Gman]

5. Good point, as opposed to my post #4

[lettucehavepeace]

9. I have heard this before about Asscroft, do

you have a link or background? Anyone?

[Stephanie]

14. see my post below, #6

Here are some more articles:

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.guardian.co.uk/september11/story/0,11209,719231,00.html

<Snip>

On September 10 last year, the last day of what is now seen as a bygone age of innocence, Mr Ashcroft sent a request for budget increases to the White House. It covered 68 programmes, none of them related to counter-terrorism.

He also sent a memorandum to his heads of departments, stating his seven priorities. Counter-terrorism was not on the list. He turned down an FBI request for hundreds more agents to be assigned to tracking terrorist threats.

Nevertheless, he began using a chartered private jet to travel around the country, rather than take commercial airliners as Ms Reno had done. A justice department spokesman said this was done as a result of an FBI "threat assessment" on Mr Ashcroft, but insisted that the assessment was not specifically linked to al-Qaida.

But Mr Ashcroft stopped using commercial flights in July, just as the intelligence "chatter" about a possible al-Qaida strike on US soil was getting louder.

According to yesterday's edition of Newsweek, he had a showdown on counter-terrorism with the outgoing FBI director, Louis Freeh, in the spring of last year in Quantico, Virginia, at an annual meeting of special agents.

<Snip>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/gate/archive/2002/06/0...

<Snip>

Ashcroft used to fly commercial, just as Janet Reno did. So why, two months before Sept. 11, did he start taking chartered government planes?

CBS News correspondent Jim Stewart asked the Justice Department.

Because of a "threat assessment" by the FBI, he was told. But "neither the FBI nor the Justice Department ... would identify what the threat was, when it was detected or who made it," CBS News reported.

The FBI did advise Ashcroft to stay off commercial aircraft. The rest of us just had to take our chances.

The FBI obviously knew something was in the wind. Why else would it have Ashcroft use a $1,600-plus per hour G-3 Gulfstream when he could have flown commercial, as he always did before, for a fraction of the cost?

<Snip>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

http://www.cooperativeresearch.org/timeline/2001/wpost080701.html

CRAWFORD, Tex., Aug. 6 -- By the time President Bush returns to Washington on Labor Day after the longest presidential vacation in 32 years, he will have spent all or part of 54 days since the inauguration at his parched but beloved ranch. That's almost a quarter of his presidency.

Throw in four days last month at his parents' seaside estate in Kennebunkport, Maine, and 38 full or partial days at the presidential retreat at Camp David, and Bush will have spent 42 percent of his presidency at vacation spots or en route.

Many of those days are weekends, and the Camp David stays have included working visits with foreign leaders. But administration officials, who initially believed that regular trips to the Texas ranch enhanced Bush's image as a rugged outsider, are acting like they may be worried about the perception that he is loafing.

<more>

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[frank frankly]

2. why did ashcroft stop flying commercial plans, then?

something doesn't add up here.

covering ashcroft before his testimony this week?

:shrug:

[Stephanie]

6. Because the most important memo came out in JULY

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

During the spring as initial policy debtes in the Administration begain, I e-mailed Condi Rice and NSDC STaff colleagues that al Queda was trying to kill Americans, to have hundreds of dead in the streets of America. During the first week in July I convened the CSG and asked each agency to consider itself on full alert. I asked the CSG agencies to cancel summer vacations and official travel for the counterterrorism response staffs. Each agency should report anything unusual, even if a sparrow should fall from a tree. I asked FBI to send another warning to the 18,000 police departments, State to alert the embassies, and the Defense Department to go to Threat Condition Delta. The Navy moved ships out of Bahrain.

- Richard Clarke, Against All Enemies, p. 236

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The Secrets of September 11

April 30 (2003) — Even as White House political aides plot a 2004 campaign plan designed to capitalize on the emotions and issues raised by the September 11 terror attacks, administration officials are waging a behind-the-scenes battle to restrict public disclosure of key events relating to the attacks.

<snip>

Some sources who have read the still-secret congressional report say some sections would not play quite so neatly into White House plans. One portion deals extensively with the stream of U.S. intelligence-agency reports in the summer of 2001 suggesting that Al Qaeda was planning an upcoming attack against the United States—and implicitly raises questions about how Bush and his top aides responded. One such CIA briefing, in July 2001, was particularly chilling and prophetic. It predicted that Osama bin Laden was about to launch a terrorist strike “in the coming weeks,” the congressional investigators found. The intelligence briefing went on to say: “The attack will be spectacular and designed to inflict mass casualties against U.S. facilities or interests. Attack preparations have been made. Attack will occur with little or no warning.”

The substance of that intelligence report was first disclosed at a public hearing last September by staff director Hill. But at the last minute, Hill was blocked from saying precisely who within the Bush White House got the briefing when CIA director Tenet classified the names of the recipients. (One source says the recipients of the briefing included Bush himself.) As a result, Hill was only able to say the briefing was given to “senior government officials.”

www.msnbc.com/news/907379.asp?0cv=KA01

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Summer Spinning
Aug 29, 2001

<snip>

The White House had announced that Bush would stay at his 1,600-acre ranch in Crawford from Aug. 4 through Labor Day on Sept. 3, a 31-day stretch that would have broken a modern record for a presidential vacation, held by Richard M. Nixon for a 30-day trip to San Clemente, Calif., in 1969. News reports played up the record, and a Gallup Poll found that 55 percent of respondents thought Bush's vacation was too long.

The length of the trip revived old questions about Bush's work ethic, and the poll and the news coverage caused consternation in the White House. Aides said they had planned an ambitious schedule for Bush as long ago as late June, but reporters were not told about it, even after they landed here. The White House, suddenly defensive, took every opportunity to show Bush on the go and even created a "Western White House" logo for the briefing room at Crawford Elementary School. Bush revealed that his ranch had new video conferencing equipment for keeping in touch with his national security team.

www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A15957-2001

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A Working Vacation
Aug. 15, 2001

Vice President Dick Cheney took time off from his month-long working vacation Monday to outline his plans for August in Jackson Hole and to reflect on "an amazing year."

Cheney, who will live at his Teton Pines home about six miles west of Jackson until Labor Day, defended his energy policy, supported a local decision to limit drilling around the Gros Ventre Wilderness, recalled a life of service in Washington and said his health problems are not affecting his ability to fish for trout on his favorite Western waters.

www.jacksonholenews.com/Archives/NewsArchive/2001/010815-News.html

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ashcroft Flying High
WASHINGTON, July 26, 2001

(CBS) Fishing rod in hand, Attorney General John Ashcroft left on a weekend trip to Missouri Thursday afternoon aboard a chartered government jet, reports CBS News Correspondent Jim Stewart.

In response to inquiries from CBS News over why Ashcroft was traveling exclusively by leased jet aircraft instead of commercial airlines, the Justice Department cited what it called a "threat assessment" by the FBI, and said Ashcroft has been advised to travel only by private jet for the remainder of his term.

"There was a threat assessment and there are guidelines. He is acting under the guidelines," an FBI spokesman said. Neither the FBI nor the Justice Department, however, would identify what the threat was, when it was detected or who made it.

www.cbsnews.com/stories/2001/07/26/national/main303601.shtml

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[lettucehavepeace]

13. Thanks! n/t

[sistersofmercy]

17. Wow, Stephanie!

Those are important finds. Interesting that they were all vacationing at the same time. I wasn't aware of Cheney's vacation. :thumbsup:

[Peachhead22]

20. Not exactly "vacationing"

Bush et al were more like getting the hell out of a major target zone. Maybe that's why they "knew" the Shanksville, Pa. plane was headed to the WH.

[sistersofmercy]

21. Yep..

Definitely appears to be the case. I believe it would be interesting to track how much time bush* co spent in the capital prior to the attacks and then track how much time they were in the capital following the attacks. Just might indicate an awareness of an impending major attack and as Condiliar stated in front of the 9/11 comission, "they didn't have an exact date."

[myrna minx]

49. But-but-but I thought they were at "battle stations" and people

cancelled vacations, according to Condi Rice. Soooo why was everyone on vacation??? :eyes:

[bain_sidhe]

35. WTF???? They classified the RECIPIENTS LIST!

There's a lot of good info in your post, but to me, this is the most damning:

One such CIA briefing, in July 2001, was particularly chilling and prophetic. It predicted that Osama bin Laden was about to launch a terrorist strike “in the coming weeks,” the congressional investigators found. The intelligence briefing went on to say: “The attack will be spectacular and designed to inflict mass casualties against U.S. facilities or interests. Attack preparations have been made. Attack will occur with little or no warning.”

The substance of that intelligence report was first disclosed at a public hearing last September by staff director Hill. But at the last minute, Hill was blocked from saying precisely who within the Bush White House got the briefing when CIA director Tenet classified the names of the recipients. (One source says the recipients of the briefing included Bush himself.) As a result, Hill was only able to say the briefing was given to “senior government officials.”

www.msnbc.com/news/907379.asp?0cv=KA01

So it's not a a matter of "national security" for the American people to know this information, but it IS a matter of "national security" for us to know WHO KNEW this information???? You need look no further for proof that Bush is using the "classification" system soley to protect his political fortunes. The reason they give for classifying most of these documents is that, by knowing what information was given, "terrists" could figure out who they got the information from. Since the information itself isn't classified, that CAN'T be the case here. What do terrists care about who got the information once it was given? The ONLY people who would care about who got the information is the American people. The only reason to classify the recipient list is to hide that information from us, not from terrorists. The ONLY reason.

:grr:

It also angers me that this article is a "web exclusive." This is the first I've seen it. I get Newsweek magazine. You can bet if they'd reported this in the magazine, a LOT more people would know about it, a lot more people would be talking about it, and a lot more people would be be storming the gates over it.

:grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr: :grr:

**edit** Stephanie, hope you don't mind, but I'm going to make a separate thread out of this. It's not really "on topic" anyway for a thread about AssKKKroft.**

Edited again to add thread URL (titled "National Security" my lilly white ass!): http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1391415

[Stephanie]

39. Please do! Post away.

I have been posting and posting this. When will someone ask them what they knew in JULY? And whether that information influenced their decision to VACATION for an entire MONTH.

[gbwarming]

44. Oxymoron OD: "Cheney took time off from his month-long working vacation "

WTF! These sick bastards take vacations from their vacations!

[Ilsa]

45. They knew enough to change their plans and behaviors...

but didn't bother sharing any of their info with the public. It might have saved hundreds or even thousands of lives if people knew there was chatter and high probablility of an attack. People might have evacuated the WTC after only one had been hit, versus going to back to work, etc.

[Stephanie]

47. That's right. It was important enough info for THEMSELVES

but not important enough to warn NYC.

[Stephanie]

3. And Condi goes to JAIL

Why did she lie?

[Gman]

4. The dike is starting to crumble...

fingers and toes in it aren't helping anymore.

[freetobegay]

7. Ashcroft is part if the inner circle

That will be one of the last to fall!

[Salviati]

8. Well there you go..

Now when bush runs his new flood of ads asking if anyone else could have done better, the answer is an unequivocal YES!

[ixion]

15. I love Sifl and Olly show!

I really miss it. I was bummed when it got pulled. I mean, I know it was only sock puppets, but I thought they were darn funny. :hi:

[Fovea]

43. Yeah but how about their replacements

The Dubya and Condi show?

[ixion]

48. eh, not so much

Sifl and Olly were much better human beings, and they were puppets.

[snippy]

10. Is the Crisco Christian blaming the Compassionate Conservative?

[Skittles]

42. lol.....................snippy

the "Crisco Christian" - :thumbsup:

[Media_Lies_Daily]

11. Bullcrap! That's why Ashcroft stopped taking commercial flights!

[RhodaGrits]

12. Cressey said last night that neither he nor Clarke knew the contents of

that PDB, that Rice did not inform them.

[sam sarrha]

16. I read in a Time or News Week Magazine that the FBI attempted to get

Warrants to tap the phones of a DOZEN of the eventual hijackers, and for the contents of Mahmoud Atta's computer.. only months before the attack.... And Asscroft denied them the warents..

The article said that the FBI's general attitude was 'Don't bother trying to get a warrant from the Justice Dept.... it is a waste of paper and effort, because you aren't going to get it'

The article was a cover article.. it had photos of all the hijackers and boxes around the one they tried to warrants for, it was a long article.. photos of the flight schools something like..'could 911 have been prevented?'

I went back to the doctors office to get it a few days later but someone had taken it............

[sistersofmercy]

18. Go to the library

Libraries usually keep back issues of certain magazines.

[Oilwellian]

19. You make an important point

Reno obtained over a thousand FISA warrants during the Clinton administration's reign to investigate suspected terrorists in this country. Ashcroft didn't obtain ONE SINGLE WARRANT before 911. Condi touched on that during her testimony and called it "structural and political obstacles" to investigating suspected terrorists in this country. I never quite understood that excuse when you consider Reno had no problem getting a warrant when she deemed it necessary.

If Ashcroft was "out of the loop" why would Condi testify to his having "political obstacles" in his path to obtaining FISA warrants? You can't have it both ways unless of course the WH was the political obstacle to Ashcroft receiving the PDB's.

[Florida_Geek]

22. Pssst Mr. Ashcroft we think these folks have

kiddie porn on their computers.

Ashcroft -- Sure how many blank search warrents do you want....



---------------------------------------

You know that would have worked.

[leesa]

23. Oh yah, I believe that! Just like I believe Condi and Bush had nothing

to do with 9-11. That's why the no commercial flying. That's why Florida was put under Marshall Law on 9-7-01, that's why FEMA was dispatched to NYC on 9-10-01, etc, etc...

[mobuto]

24. Marshall Law?

Is he related to Marshall Fields? Or to the Field Marshall, Lord Viscount Sir Bernard Law Mongtomery of Alamein?

[htuttle]

31. I've always thought that would be a great name for a blues band

[Judi Lynn]

30. The order to martial law in Florida was NEVER explained, was it?

I have NEVER, EVER heard a word of reference made to it, officially, other than the announcement it had been created by Jeb Bush on September 7, 2001.

I would love to hear a Republican explanation for this. Here's a link to the executive order:

http://sun6.dms.state.fl.us/eog_new/eog/orders/2001/september/eo2001-261-09-07-01.html

[sam sarrha]

32. Just read section #3.. it is because of threat of TERRORISM !!!!!

dah.....

[Judi Lynn]

34. Ah, the old Section THREE!

Section 3.

The Florida National Guard may order selected members on to state active duty for service to the State of Florida pursuant to Section 250.06(4), Florida Statutes, to assist FDLE in performing port security training and inspections. Based on the potential massive damage to life and property that may result from an act of terrorism at a Florida port, the necessity to protect life and property from such acts of terrorism, and inhibiting the smuggling of illegal drugs into the State of Florida, the use of the Florida National Guard to support FDLE in accomplishing port security training and inspections is "extraordinary support to law enforcement" as used in Section 250.06(4), Florida Statutes.

Now isn't that odd? Who would have expected _{George Bush's} brother to find it expedient to install Martial Law from outta nowhere on September 7, 2001?

Un-bleeping-believable.

[grasswire]

25. well, this is interesting....

....maybe the fault doesn't lie as much with Rice as with Ashcroft. This is going to be an interesting week.

[TahitiNut]

26. Consistent with a strategy of "Plausible Deniability"

It's fundamental to such a strategy that no record of involvement be kept and that agencies inimical to the goals be quarantined. This is a blatant case of LIHOP. They wanted it to happen.

[moondust]

27. Deleted.

[enki23]

28. so fucking what?

at least some of the most important information in that memo must have COME THROUGH them. isn't it the responsibility of the justice department to know about the 70+ FBI investigations thought to involve bin laden?

[PurityOfEssence]

29. If this isn't proof of incompetence, what is?

Right. As if the Crisco Kid didn't know what was going on. That's as plausible as Junior asking for the PDB.

I hope the Administration tries to sluff off some of this on him and he comes back at them. Junior actually expects everyone to throw themselves in front of trains just to save him, yet they have no real reason to anymore. The old expectation was based on his "loyalty" to his people; now that he's shown that he'll jettison anyone as necessary, there's no carrot to dangle.

The depth of human ugliness gets plumbed once again by this clown.

[BattyDem]

33. Ashcroft was very busy ...

prosecuting pornography and prostitution. They didn't want to bother him with little things like possible attacks on our country. :eyes:

[Bridget Burke]

36. He'd already gotten the message....

Ashcroft decided to avoid commercial aircraft in July. For all his faults, he's probably not as slow as Bush*.

The PDB was the last, frantic attempt to get the "president" to pay attention to the by-then-overwhelming evidence that something bad was about to happen. It didn't work.

Will we ever get a chance to hear Bush answer some hard questions? He NEVER has. Not in his rare "press conferences", not after any of his stage-managed public appearances & not in any of the TV interviews.

[Stephanie]

40. Exactly. If Ashcroft didn't get ONE memo it's irrelevant. He already knew

He knew enough to save his own ugly butt, anyway. He couldn't be bothered to stop the attacks, though. Imagine if Colleen Rowley had been listened to.

[moondust]

37. Strongly suggests LIHOP or MIHOP.

Why else would they restrict distribution to "just seven national-security officials"? Hiding useless "historical information"? Yeah right.

[Kool Kitty]

46. Also, this strongly suggests INCOMPETENCE.

AT every level. In every department. For heaven's sake, if Bush were any sort of a leader, he'd have their heads. And then, as leader of this group of useless proles, he should resign.

[Katarina]

38. Maybe Ashcroft did know?

From an article I found earlier. I posted it in GD but it hasn't got much attention. However, I am still reading it and came across this information.

<snip>
There is good reason to believe that the FBI’s failure to apprehend suspected terrorists, who were linked to bin Laden and operating within the U.S., was the result of high-level blocks from the FBI command and Justice Department. Evidence for this comes from the authoritative testimony of U.S. attorney David Philip Schippers, former Chief Investigative Counsel for the U.S. House Judiciary Committee, and head prosecutor responsible for conducting the impeachment against former President Bill Clinton. His long record of impeccable expertise and extensive experience makes him a highly credible source.<65>

Two days after the attacks, Schippers went public in an interview with WRRK in Pittsburgh, PA., stating that he had attempted to warn U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, along with other federal officials, about the terrorist attacks weeks before they occurred. He stated that he had received information from U.S. intelligence sources, including FBI agents, that a massive attack was being planned by terrorists, targeting the financial arteries of lower Manhattan. Schippers had attempted to bring this information to the attention of John Ashcroft, six weeks before the tragedy of Black Tuesday.<66> Schippers went public again in October 2001, reiterating that, several months prior to September, impeccable sources in the U.S. intelligence community, including agents of the U.S. government’s law enforcement agency, the FBI, had approached him with information about the impending attacks.

According to Schippers, these agents knew, months before the 11th September attacks, the names of the hijackers, the targets of their attacks, the proposed dates, and the sources of their funding, along with other information. At least two weeks prior to 11th September, the FBI agents again confirmed that an attack on lower Manhattan, orchestrated by Osama bin Laden, was imminent. However, the FBI command cut short their investigations into the impending terrorist attacks and those involved, threatening the agents with prosecution under the National Security Act if they publicised information pertaining to their investigations.

The agents subsequently sought the council of David Schippers in order to pressure elements in the U.S. government to take action to prevent the attacks. Schippers warned many Congressmen and Senators, and also attempted to contact U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft without success, managing only to explain the situation to a lower-ranking Justice Department official who promised a return call from Ashcroft the next day. The Attorney General did not return the call despite the gravity of the situation. Schippers is now legally representing one FBI agent in a suit against the U.S. government in an attempt to subpoena their testimony, so that he can legally speak about the blocked investigations on public record. In a Talk Radio interview on the Alex Jones Show, based in Austin, Texas, Schippers stated:

http://www.mediamonitors.net/mosaddeq36.html

This part is a little less than halfway down the page

[Stephanie]

41. That makes perfect sense for LIHOP - BushCO could control info

They could control info from the top down - slow or halt investigations, slow the processes that would have put preventive measures in place, etc. What they could NOT do is prevent hundreds of FBI PROFESSIONALS from doing their jobs. They could not control the information that was flowing from the bottom UP. They could stymie it at a certain level, but they could not prevent it being discovered.

They are so screwed.

[Claire Beth]

50. I remember hearing once...

that as soon as 9/11 had happened, Dumbya turned to Asscroft and said "John, don't let anything like this ever happen again!"..... WHY would he make it the job of the AG to secure our safety and at the same time NOT include the AG on this bit of "classified" info? Goes to show you that Dumbya is REALLY DUMB!