Thursday, October 21, 2004



The other 9/11 report

Previous investigations into 9/11 by Congress and the Independent 9/11 Commission were scrupulous in their refusal to point the finger and name names. Instead, they blamed "systematic failure", and talked of "lost opportunities" (while being exceedingly careful to apportion what blame they did allocate in a bipartisan manner). However, there is another official report which does thoroughly investigate 9/11 and names those whose failure allowed it to happen. It's by the CIA, and they're suppressing it:

According to the intelligence official, who spoke to me on condition of anonymity, release of the report, which represents an exhaustive 17-month investigation by an 11-member team within the agency, has been "stalled." First by acting CIA Director John McLaughlin and now by Porter J. Goss, the former Republican House member (and chairman of the Intelligence Committee) who recently was appointed CIA chief by President Bush.

The official stressed that the report was more blunt and more specific than the earlier bipartisan reports produced by the Bush-appointed Sept. 11 commission and Congress.

"What all the other reports on 9/11 did not do is point the finger at individuals, and give the how and what of their responsibility. This report does that," said the intelligence official. "The report found very senior-level officials responsible."

[...]

"The agency directorate is basically sitting on the report until after the election," the official continued. "No previous director of CIA has ever tried to stop the inspector general from releasing a report to the Congress, in this case a report requested by Congress."

I guess it must look really bad for the Bush admininstration then.

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