smugllama's news review
Sunday, December 28, 2003
Controversial Actions Trump 9/11 Skyscraper Safety Hearing (Tom Flocco)
"Additional news was made prior to and during Kean and Hamilton's press conference after Wednesday's proceedings - but also after a closed-door commission meeting held Thursday morning. Some 9-11 family members privately expressed concern regarding which two individuals would review key presidential documents. This, as past revelations about conflicts of interest may again become a bone of contention with the families - given close administration links to the only two commission members selected to exclusively review and summarize virtually all Presidential Daily Brief (PDB) documents. ... Kean and Hamilton would not discuss their intentions regarding the key NSC and CSG documents and whether they would also be subpoenaed in the 3,000-death murder investigation, as commission conflicts of interest regained the spotlight. ... The other seven commission members without access to Bush's sensitive documents will only be able to read a summary for all Commissioners and designated staff. That summary is subject to limited White House review before it is shared with the full Commission. The four representatives will have "wide latitude" in preparing the summary and briefing the full Commission, according to Communications Deputy Felzenberg. ... President Bush previously directed his lawyers to withhold key prior-knowledge information even from Senate Intelligence Chairman Bob Graham, as previously the Florida senator had been unclear about the redaction issue during his 2002 hearings. Bush sent Graham PDBs with sections blacked-out. ... Thus, Zelikow is charged with supervising a murder investigation linked to friends and professional CIA associates who failed to properly handle intelligence briefings about Arab terrorists using planes as weapons to be flown into American buildings. Zelikow forgot to list in his Commission website biography that he helped to reorganize George W.'s National Security Council (NSC) as a member of the Bush 2001 transition team while he continues to converse with White House officials as a Presidential Scholar. Executive Director Zelikow's close professional relationship with President Bush's National Security Advisor, Condoleezza Rice - with whom he collaborated in writing a book, should have hoisted multiple red flags to Kean and Hamilton, in and of itself. It is 9-11 national security failures that are under investigation; but Zelikow is permitted to probe his friend Condi Rice's 9-11 actions - and those of the President who appointed him. Most Americans do not understand that Zelikow retains the power to hire all Commission staff and coordinate the flow of Kean's investigation; but he also has access to all testimony - past and present, and manages all upcoming witnesses, document requests and subpoenas - and has now been chosen as one of just two persons permitted total access to all sensitive administration documents. This, while maintaining both professional and informal ties to the Administration he is charged with investigating. ... When we asked who would examine the PDB notes taken by the Commission members that would be stored at the White House, Hamilton shook his head, and thoughtfully answered, "I don't think we'll get into that right now." Kean and Hamilton also revealed that staff members have already started writing the narrative for the May, 2003 final commission report. Kean can be assured that administration officials do not want the September 11 attacks to become a presidential campaign issue - thus the necessity to quickly finish the report prior to the 2004 election. ... Current commission revelations indicate that numerous investigative stones will be left unturned or half-probed and witness testimony is being kept secret and unpublicized. All this, along with colossal conflicts of interests inherent in what seems on the surface to be a very soft investigation that remains compliant to each White House request."
"Additional news was made prior to and during Kean and Hamilton's press conference after Wednesday's proceedings - but also after a closed-door commission meeting held Thursday morning. Some 9-11 family members privately expressed concern regarding which two individuals would review key presidential documents. This, as past revelations about conflicts of interest may again become a bone of contention with the families - given close administration links to the only two commission members selected to exclusively review and summarize virtually all Presidential Daily Brief (PDB) documents. ... Kean and Hamilton would not discuss their intentions regarding the key NSC and CSG documents and whether they would also be subpoenaed in the 3,000-death murder investigation, as commission conflicts of interest regained the spotlight. ... The other seven commission members without access to Bush's sensitive documents will only be able to read a summary for all Commissioners and designated staff. That summary is subject to limited White House review before it is shared with the full Commission. The four representatives will have "wide latitude" in preparing the summary and briefing the full Commission, according to Communications Deputy Felzenberg. ... President Bush previously directed his lawyers to withhold key prior-knowledge information even from Senate Intelligence Chairman Bob Graham, as previously the Florida senator had been unclear about the redaction issue during his 2002 hearings. Bush sent Graham PDBs with sections blacked-out. ... Thus, Zelikow is charged with supervising a murder investigation linked to friends and professional CIA associates who failed to properly handle intelligence briefings about Arab terrorists using planes as weapons to be flown into American buildings. Zelikow forgot to list in his Commission website biography that he helped to reorganize George W.'s National Security Council (NSC) as a member of the Bush 2001 transition team while he continues to converse with White House officials as a Presidential Scholar. Executive Director Zelikow's close professional relationship with President Bush's National Security Advisor, Condoleezza Rice - with whom he collaborated in writing a book, should have hoisted multiple red flags to Kean and Hamilton, in and of itself. It is 9-11 national security failures that are under investigation; but Zelikow is permitted to probe his friend Condi Rice's 9-11 actions - and those of the President who appointed him. Most Americans do not understand that Zelikow retains the power to hire all Commission staff and coordinate the flow of Kean's investigation; but he also has access to all testimony - past and present, and manages all upcoming witnesses, document requests and subpoenas - and has now been chosen as one of just two persons permitted total access to all sensitive administration documents. This, while maintaining both professional and informal ties to the Administration he is charged with investigating. ... When we asked who would examine the PDB notes taken by the Commission members that would be stored at the White House, Hamilton shook his head, and thoughtfully answered, "I don't think we'll get into that right now." Kean and Hamilton also revealed that staff members have already started writing the narrative for the May, 2003 final commission report. Kean can be assured that administration officials do not want the September 11 attacks to become a presidential campaign issue - thus the necessity to quickly finish the report prior to the 2004 election. ... Current commission revelations indicate that numerous investigative stones will be left unturned or half-probed and witness testimony is being kept secret and unpublicized. All this, along with colossal conflicts of interests inherent in what seems on the surface to be a very soft investigation that remains compliant to each White House request."
