This is going to be a quick and dirty diary so, I apologize now- my day's almost done but I wanted to get this out there. From TruthOut, Rep. Henry A. Waxman; Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney are calling for new hearings to ascertain EXACTLY who knew what, when, and whether this administration has continued to lie about warnings involving 9/11. You can see the full text of the letter to Tom Davis, Chairman
Committee on Government Reform.
Wide ranging excerpts to follow- with the real kicker at the end:
Dear Mr. Chairman:
We are writing to request that our Committee hold hearings to investigate two extremely serious questions raised by an article that appeared in this morning's New York Times. The first question is whether the Administration misused the classification process to withhold, for political reasons, official 9/11 Commission staff findings detailing how federal aviation officials received multiple intelligence reports warning of airline hijackings and suicide attacks before September 11. The second question relates to the veracity of statements, briefings, and testimony by then-National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice regarding this issue.
Declassification Process
The first question Committee hearings should address is whether the Bush Administration abused the classification process to improperly withhold the 9/11 Commission findings from Congress and the public until after the November elections and the confirmation of Condoleezza Rice as Secretary of State. Although the 9/11 Commission staff completed its report on August 26, 2004, the Bush Administration refused to declassify the findings until January 28, 2005, less than 48 hours after Ms. Rice was confirmed as Secretary of State. [2] At that time, the Department of Justice delivered both a classified version and an unclassified version to the National Archives, the agency charged with collecting and retaining all 9/11 Commission documents.
During the period between August 26 and January 28, the Administration was reportedly reviewing the Commission's report to determine whether it contained any information that should be classified in the interest of national security. Problems with this process had been raised previously by the 9/11 Commission. [3]
The Committee should investigate the process by which the Administration handled the declassification, redaction, and release of this 9/11 Commission report. Specifically, the Committee should investigate the following questions:
(1) What was the process for declassifying, redacting, and releasing this report, and who specifically was responsible for these actions?
(2) Were there political considerations behind the declassification, redaction, or timing of the release of the report?
(3) What were the specific rationales for each redaction in the report? Were these redactions appropriate?
On December 2, 2004, we joined with Rep. Christopher Shays, Chairman of the National Security Subcommittee, and 23 other members in a letter to Attorney General John Ashcroft specifically requesting the 9/11 Commission report at issue. [4] We noted that "there have been a number of calls for its release, to no avail," and we expressed concern that "politics may be playing a role in its release." This specific congressional request was apparently ignored by the Administration. When the staff report was declassified on January 28 and sent to the National Archives, no notice was provided to us.
This is followed with several SPECIFIC questions regarding Condi's testimony claiming no one knew a thing.
Here's the real kicker:
Document Request
Finally, we request that the Committee obtain from the Administration the following documents identified in the New York Times article this morning:
(1) A full, unredacted copy of the classified version of the 9/11 Commission report on FAA intelligence warnings delivered to the National Archives;
(2) Full and unredacted copies of the 52 intelligence reports received by the FAA;
(3) Full and unredacted copies of the CD-ROM presentation distributed to airlines and airports in 2001; and
(4) Full and unredacted copies of slides, reports, or other documents used in classified briefings for security officials at 19 airports in mid-2001.
Sincerely,
Henry A. Waxman
Ranking Minority Member
Carolyn B. Maloney
Member of Congress
hehehehe. Oh, for them to get these documents, in full. Oh, for the lies to finally catch SOMEONE'S pants on fire.
Read the rest here:
http://www.truthout.org/docs_2005/021705W.shtml