Take Gorelick off the commission and put her in the hotseat!

[jimnyc]

*** And I must ask again, will we see this in the mainstream media? ***

Contact: Jeff Lungren or Terry Shawn of the House Committee on the Judiciary, 202-225-2492, http://www.house.gov/judiciary

WASHINGTON, April 14 /U.S. Newswire/ -- House Judiciary Committee Chairman F. James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-Wis.) released the following statement:

"Yesterday, a 1995 memo written by 9/11 Commission Member Jamie Gorelick, in her former role as the second in command at the Justice Department, revealed her actions in establishing the heightened 'wall' prohibiting the sharing of intelligence information and criminal information. Scrutiny of this policy lies at the heart of the Commission's work. Ms. Gorelick has an inherent conflict of interest as the author of this memo and as a government official at the center of the events in questions. Thus, I believe the Commission's work and independence will be fatally damaged by the continued participation of Ms. Gorelick as a Commissioner. Reluctantly, I have come to the conclusion that Ms. Gorelick should resign from this Commission.

"The Commission's Guidelines on Recusals state, 'Commissioners and staff will recuse themselves from investigating work they performed in prior government service.' Commissioner Gorelick's memo directing a policy that 'go(es) beyond what is legally required' indicates that her judgment and actions as the Deputy Attorney General in the Reno Justice Department are very much in question before the Commission. Indeed Attorney General Ashcroft called this DOJ policy, 'the single greatest structural cause for September 11 ... (and) embraced flawed legal reasoning.' Commissioner Gorelick is in the unfair position of trying to address the key issue before the Commission when her own actions are central to the events at issue. The public cannot help but ask legitimate questions about her motives.

"While it is regrettable that this conflict had not come to light sooner, this Commission's work and forthcoming recommendations are too important to be questioned in this way, and may be devalued by Ms. Gorelick's continued participation as a Commissioner. Given Ms. Gorelick's work as the Deputy Attorney General under Janet Reno, Ms. Gorelick can be quite valuable to the Commission's work preparing 'a full and complete account of the circumstances surrounding the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.' However, that contribution should come as a witness before the Commission - not as a member.

"Key figures like former FBI Director Freeh, Director Mueller, Attorney General Ashcroft, former presidential adviser Richard Clarke, and National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice have all testified before the Commission and would have rightly sparked indignation about a conflict of interest had these individuals also been members of the Commission. Testifying before the Commission is Ms. Gorelick's proper role, not sitting as a member of this independent commission."

http://releases.usnewswire.com/GetRelease.asp?id=123-04142004

 

[Zhukov]

The first time I saw Commissioner Gorelick was while I was watching, I believe, Secretary Powell, and Assistant Secretary Armitage before the Commission. When it listed her name and previous position I was confused:

Jamie Gorelick
Deputy Attorney General
1994-1997

I was confused because it seemed to me she was on the wrong side of the bench.

 

[JIHADTHIS]

It's a shame, the commission really could have accomplished some good if it didn't denigrate into a political fiasco.

PS You won't see it mainstream, that's a foregone conclusion.

 

[jimnyc]

The independent commission investigating the Sept. 11 attacks may be about to implode amidst partisan recriminations and charges of conflict of interest, with the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee calling on one of the panel's leading members to resign.

Rep. Jim Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., demanded on Wednesday that former Clinton administration deputy attorney general Jamie Gorelick resign from the investigation, charging that she "has an inherent conflict of interest as the author of this memo and as a government official at the center of the events in question."

The Gorelick memo, issued under the authority of the Justice Department in 1995, was blamed by Attorney General John Ashcroft on Tuesday for hampering the ability of the FBI and CIA to cooperate in terrorist investigations.

Other aspects of Gorelick's tenure suggest more conflicts, such as questions about what role, if any, she played in advising President Clinton that there was no legal basis to extradite Osama bin Laden to the U.S. when he was offered by Sudan in 1996.

Another problem: Gorelick's law firm represents Saudi Prince Mohammed al Faisal, a potential defendant in the litigation being brought by the 9/11 families. A finding by the commission that 9/11 was preventable could take some of the heat off of Gorelick's Saudi clients.

Commission Chairman Tom Kean on Wednesday, however, dismissed suggestions that Gorelick was unfit to serve, complaining that Sensenbrenner and other Commission critics should "stay out of our business."

Gorelick apparently enjoys a special relationship with Kean. She boasted last week that she was the only other commissioner besides Kean and co-chair Lee Hamilton who had access to every one of the presidential daily briefings.

Gorelick's public conduct in recent days has only exacerbated perceptions of impropriety.

Last Thursday, when asked whether the commission's findings would impact on the presidential election, Gorelick told MSNBC "Hardball" host Chris Matthews, "[The report] will raise some very fundamental issues."

Minutes later, Gorelick beamed as Matthews referred to her as a "former deputy attorney general [who] may well be attorney general again."

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/4/14/212719.shtml

 

[jimnyc]

Former chief White House political adviser Dick Morris charged Wednesday night that 9/11 Commissioner Jamie Gorelick is the U.S. public official "most responsible for 9/11 happening."

"Of all of the public officials in the Clinton administration and the Bush administration, the one who is most directly, in my judgment, responsible for 9/11 happening is Jamie Gorelick," Morris told Fox News Channel's "Hannity & Colmes."

Morris cited the now notorious Gorelick memo, a document she issued in 1995 while serving as deputy attorney general that impeded the U.S.'s war on terrorism.

"This woman is bad news," Morris charged. "She ran the Justice Department for three years - Reno was a figurehead during that period."

The top political consultant said that it was Gorelick's "invention to set up this wall that separated investigators from intelligence gatherers."

Morris cited the arrest of the so-called 20th hijacker, Zacarias Moussaui, whose computer contained the names of some of the Sept. 11 hijackers and the flight schools they attended.

While prosecutors pursued Moussaui on an immigration violation, he said, "they couldn't let the intelligence types look at his computer."

"Jamie Gorelick is more responsible than anybody for [the] 9/11 [plot] going undetected," Morris concluded.

http://www.newsmax.com/archives/ic/2004/4/14/224659.shtml

 

[DKSuddeth]

the implosion of this comission would be the best thing to happen.

 

[Zhukov]

Bah. The implosion coverage will just prolong the media coverage of this nonsense. Of course it isn't as helpful for their agenda so perhaps not.

Why was this person on that commission to begin with? Who else up there is directly tied to terrorist related policy making over the past 20 years? What fool appointed these commissioners, and on what basis were they selected?

 

[jimnyc]

Gorelick was nominated by the democratic leaders.

 

[tim_duncan2000]

Seems like a huge conflict of interest and I think she should have to answer some questions herself.

 

[Prairie Sooner]

This is my first posting in this forum. But I share the view many have stated regarding Gorelick's presence on the 9/11 board.

Perhaps one reason she was chosen to be a member by the democrats is that she was involved to the point to detect when the investigation might be headed in a direction damaging to the administration where her loyalties lie ? Being in the know she could identify problems headed her way prior to the others not so intimately familiar with this block.

Personally I feel that major elements within the Clinton administration were not interested in protecting this country to begin with. So many of our traditional allies are anti-US (more anti-the current administration).

Clinton's regime went out of its way to weaken us and promote globalism at the expense of the American people. I am not naive to believe that frauds are restricted to just one party or one philosophical agenda. Money is money regardless of who is in power.

Would like to know when questions are going to be asked as to why Executive privilege was exercised under the Clinton administation while the mere thought of doing the same under this administration is regarded as a heresy and crime against freedom of information etc. and all of the usual tripe the rags and talking heads spout out continually?

Well, this was my first post - hopefully not my last.

 

[eric]

Welcome Prairie !!

 

[jimnyc]

Originally posted by Prairie Sooner
Well, this was my first post - hopefully not my last.

Welcome, Prairie Sooner.