Richard Clarke DID NOT authorize the bin Laden flights

[in_cog_ni_to]

out of the country!!! Kean LIED. Clarke told them to go to the FBI with it.

Randi just played his testimony and he said he didn't authorize the flights out of the US for the bin Laden's. Now she's talking about the WH plane that the press corp travels on.....the bin Laden's used it to leave the country. WooHoo! Go Randi! She must read DU.

[KC21304]

1. Clarke did say in his testimony before the commission that he told

who ever asked to have FBI clear it but later he took responsibility for it. The way I understand it he must have said something like if it's okay with the FBI, let them go.

[skypilot]

2. Yeah, he even stressed his involvement...

...by saying "It didn't go any higher than me". So, I'm still not clear on this. Unless, I'm misunderstanding him, it seems that he said two different things at two different times.

[blm]

4. You heard it right. It was it's OK with me IF it's OK with FBI.

This has Robert Mueller's dirty hands on it. Mueller, the US attorney who couldn't find anything wrong with the BCCI scandal so Kerry had to take it to a NY state attorney to get indictments. Mueller is a longtime BFEE tool.

[doubleplusgood]

3. the request was initiated by the White House

...Clarke only approved the flights after checking with the FBI.

[Bush was AWOL]

Can anyone prove that he only approved the flights after

talking to the FBI, the white house approved, and that they were flown out during the time period when all flights were grounded? We need to be able to prove it...just claiming it happened is not a very strong case.

[izzie]

5. Do not tell me Clark just made up mind to let these people fly out.

The reason had to come from someone that wanted them to fly out.It just does not pop out of thin air.It is like the prisons. Did all those lower rates wake up one morning and say lets all do this all over the world?

[JayS]

6. I do wonder about this. After the OK City bombing there was...

...one news story that mentioned, in a sort of offhand fashion, that the Bin Laden family was flown out of the country (or perhaps just out of Oklahoma.) Needless to say, their name was not a household one back then. I plan to make a trip to the library soon to find this story as all I can find online is stuff from some pretty strange sites that perhaps built on whatever the original article said.

[bobbyboucher]

7. Quoting Richard Clarke "Has anyone considered protecting

the Saudi Royals that might be in the States? What about the Bin Laden family members? Get on this right away. No, no. No need to contact the White House or the FBI, just round them up in,...in, uh,... Kentucky, yeah, Kentucky. We gotta get them out of the States asap. On who's authority? On my authority, goddamnit! Do exactly what I tell you. Send out some private jets, round up all the Saudi Royals and Bin Ladens and any other rich, oily Saudi fucks and get them all to Kentucky. We'll sneak their asses out of the US as soon as we can. Flight ban? Don't worry about no stinking flight ban, I can authorize this. I take full responsibility for this. We gotta save the Bin Ladens!"

That's how it happened.

[mmonk]

8. According to the 9/11 commission report

We found no evidence that anyone at the White House above the level of Richard Clarke participated in a decision on the departure of Saudi Nationals.

[buycitgo]

9. very sneaky, that

WH, see?

NOT FBI, which is what he originally said. the FBI cleared it ABOVE him. he did NOT let them go til he cleared it with somebody from the FBI

it's in his book

he has done a bit of a turnaround. see his Vanity Fair interview, in which, IIRC, he takes responsibility.

very weird stuff going on around here

Dale Watson has also contradicted himself on the relative thoroughnes of FBI questioning of those who were allowed to leave

this really stinks

no way we'll EVER get the real story

[mmonk]

10. and "we find no evidence"

really means nothing. It doesn't necessarily mean the admin is not the approving source, just they find no evidence.

[bluedog]

11. this 9-11 report

means nothing!!....bush and cheney were not under oath.the people did not get to hear the questions or answeres.....no written text.no hint.nada.........they saw fit NOT to inform us of what these two asses were doing and why the intel was ignored!

[buycitgo]

12. Randi R talking about the tail number right now

she GAVE the tail number

caller axes if Kean forgot to read his own report, re: Saudis flying before other planes could, and who OK'd flights