Reply #44: Latest from Unanswered Questions/Citizens Watch [View All]

[JackRiddler]

Here is the UQ/Citizens Watch pass-it-along open bulletin ...

unansweredquestions.org

From: Kyle F. Hence
Subject: <911commission> 9/11 CitizensWatch Newsletter No. 3 -- Committee Hearings on 9/11 Investigation

Commentary
Kyle F. Hence, Co-founder, 9/11 CitizensWatch

Before Senator McCain gets up on the floor of the Senate to call for an
extension of the Commission's deadline, as he has offered to do, the
appropriate committees in both the House and Senate should hold hearings
to address a range of concerns being raised by 9/11 victim family
members, the Commissioners themselves and many others.

Just as the Administration has been engaging in stonewalling and
foot-dragging relative to Commission requests for 9/11 related
documents, so has the Commission been 'foot-dragging' relative to
exercising its power to issue these subpoenas while it 'negotiates' over
access.

The Commission knew over 6 months ago it would need access to critical
intelligence documents from the NSC and the Oval Office. Despite a
looming deadline, they have played softball and not aggressively pursued
these documents; perhaps in part because the Commission's Executive
Director, Phillip Zelikow, has close ties to National Security Advisor
Condaleeza Rice (they've co-authored a book) and to the National
Security Council which he helped organize through the transition from
the Clinton Administration to the Bush Administration.

Earlier conflicts of interests illuminated through the efforts of victim
family members have led to Commissioners with close ties to the Airlines
to recuse themselves from aspects of the investigation dealing with
Aviation industry related matters. Now an apparent conflict of interest
with the Commission's Executive Director and a pattern of stonewalling
by the White House, FAA and DoD may force the Congress to extend the
Commission's deadline.

Before this occurs it is incumbent upon members of Congress to exercise
their oversight role and review the work of the Commission and hear from
the family members who have a long list of serious concerns about the
work of the Commission.

The Commission's dismissal of the family's concern over Zelikow's
conflicts of interest and its willingness to tolerate unexplained delays
over access to 'highly material' White House documents is just the tip
of the iceberg as far as the families are concerned.

Concerns raised by the 9/11 Family Steering Committee and by 9/11
CitizensWatch include (but are not limited to):

1) No testimony under oath: not a single minute of testimony offered the
Commission has been given under oath. Explanations as to why the
Commission has refused to require an oath as to truthfulness from its
witnesses are counterintuitive and have never been fully explained in
the formal setting of their periodic press conferences.

2) Presence of Minders during 'interviews': The 9/11 Commission has been
charged with producing the "definitive account" of what happened on 9/11
and why and they are conducting 'interviews' with minders? Interviews?
What's going on here--is the commission still hiring staff? What they
should be doing is taking testimony under oath without the presence of
intimidating 'minders'. Why do they continue to knuckle under to the
Administration's insistence that minders be present?

3) a general lack of investigative rigor applied to questioning of
witnesses who offer public testimony (not under oath) in Commission
hearings.

4) hearings with inappropriate witnesses that do not even come close to
addressing the
questions posed by the Family Steering Committee and 9/11 CitizensWatch.

5) failure to release substantive findings of fact and progress on lines
of inquiry in conjunction with the interim reports of the Commission, as
was done by the Congressional Joint Inquiry.

6) failure to release all non-classified records and evidence to
facilitate a broad range of expert public analysis, as well as release
of all key evidence relating to the findings of their final report
instead of a "series of monographs" predicted by Commission co-chair Lee
Hamilton.

The 9/11 Commission established by Congress and the President nearly a
year ago is ultimately accountable to the American people, and most
certainly to the 9/11 victim family members, without whose effort there
would be no commission. Getting definitive answers from the White House
and other agencies is absolutely critical to learning the truth about
the horrific and tragic events of September 11th. Taking the Commission
to task over apparent conflicts of interest that may have softened their
approach to the issue of access and the litany of aforementioned
concerns is a must before the Commission and the Congress breaks for the
Holiday.

Regardless of whether or not a extension of their deadline is required,
it is time Congress hold hearings to review the course of the
investigation thus far and if necessary make adjustments in the
legislation to be sure they are properly addressed.

================================================================

None of this will happen without a concerted campaign by the American
people to demand accountability and a higher standard of investigative
rigor. To that end CitizensWatch will soon be announcing a letter
writing and call-in initiative to call upon key members of Congress to
hold hearings in a timely manner.