9/11 commission members want Atta claim probed

[Goldmund]

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Members of the commission that uncovered the government's failures to share intelligence among agencies before the September 11, 2001, attacks want to know whether U.S. defense intelligence officials knew for more than a year that four of the hijackers were part of an al Qaeda cell but failed to tell law enforcement.

Lee Hamilton, co-chairman of the now-disbanded commission, said Tuesday that members of the September 11 commission could issue a statement by the end of the week after reviewing claims that defense intelligence officials had identified ringleader Mohammed Atta and three other hijackers.

"The 9/11 commission did not learn of any U.S. government knowledge prior to 9/11 of surveillance of Mohammed Atta or of his cell," said Hamilton, a former Democratic congressman from Indiana. "Had we learned of it obviously it would've been a major focus of our investigation."

The commission's report on the terrorist attacks, released last year, traced government mistakes that allowed the hijackers to succeed. Among the problems the commission cited was a lack of coordination across intelligence agencies.

More: http://www.cnn.com/2005/POLITICS/08/10/9.11.hijackers.ap/index.html

[AtomicKitten]

1. BS ALERT

Republican Rep. Curt Weldon is the source of this subterfuge. He is a joke in the intelligence community. His book on "tara" has been scrutinized and dismissed by most in the intelligence community as BS, relying heavily on already discredited Iran Contra sources. This guy has a history of crying wolf in his quest to trash Iran. Allegedly the 9-11 Commission an well as the CIA looked at Weldon's claims and summarily dismissed as baloney.

Rumor has it something BIG is coming down the pike to nail Junior on 9-11 and this is subterfuge to place blame elsewhere ... on Clinton's penis, of course, the source of ills of the entire planet, doncha know?

[Beaver Tail]

2. I would like to see this probed as well

I would like to see if there is any truth to (not that it matters really because the finding would be insignificant anyway) or if it just a pure and simple smear campain (most likely)

The reason I want to see it probed is so we can HANG Rep. Curt Weldon if it is proved the information is false.

[stopbush]

3. Fuck you, Lee Hamilton. You guys had your chance and used it

to blame the intelligence agencies and to whitewash bushco's complicity. "Did not learn." Fuck you. You could have learned by reading DU any minute of any day of the week as your fucking "investigation" was going on.

BTW - where's the second half of the report that Pat Roberts promised?

Fuck you.

Lee Hamilton - the Dem they always call in when they need to sweep something under the rug.