- WASHINGTON (UPI) -- The administration
has denied lawmakers investigating the Sept. 11 attacks permission to reveal
whether the president or other White House staff received warning of potential
terrorist attacks against the United States, including plans by al Qaida
linked terrorists to use hijacked planes as weapons.
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- The joint House-Senate Intelligence Committee -- which
is charged with determining why intelligence and law enforcement agencies
missed apparently numerous warnings prior to Sept. 11 -- Wednesday released
summaries of dozens of now-declassified intelligence briefings dating back
to the early 1990's, but was denied permission to release the names of
the recipients by CIA boss George Tenet.
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- "The Director of Central Intelligence has declined
to declassify two issues of particular importance to this inquiry,"
Eleanor Hill, staff director for the committee told the panel, "any
references to the intelligence community providing information to the president
or White House and the identity of and information on a key al Qaida leader
involved in the September 11 attacks."
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- But the panel's co-chairman, Sen. Bob Graham, D-Fla.,
said that the point of the panel's inquiry was to fulfill an oversight
responsibility and not to point blame at anyone in the government, White
House or intelligence services.
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- "These public hearings are part of our search for
the truth -- not to point fingers or pin blame, but with the goal of identifying
and correcting whatever systematic problems might have prevented our government
from detecting and disrupting al Qaida's plot," he said.
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- Co-chairman Rep. Porter Goss, R-Fla. -- without directly
addressing the administration's gag order -- said that there were only
three reasons to keep information a secret: to protect sources or methods
of collection, to protect the plans and intentions of operations, and to
avoid interfering with ongoing investigations and prosecutions.
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- Hill detailed the reasons given for the decision to classify
some information about who knew what, in a probe designed to determine
exactly that.
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- "According to (Tenet), the president's knowledge
of intelligence information relevant to this inquiry remains classified
even when the substance of intelligence information has been declassified,"
Hill told lawmakers.
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- "With respect to the key al Qaida leader involved
in the September 11 attacks, the DCI declined to declassify his identity
despite an enormous volume of media reporting on this individual."
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- Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, a Kuwaiti national, has given
an interview in which he claims to have been the organizer and financier
for the attacks. In an interview with an Arab language news service, he
admitted to being a top al Qaida official and appears to be the person
in question. He remains at large and is thought to be in Pakistan.
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- Hill complained that the decision to bar the release
of the two sets of information has restricted the probe, but she noted
that the committee lacks authority to overrule Tenet, whose formal title
is Director of Central Intelliegence on such matters.
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- "The Joint Inquiry Staff disagrees with the DCI's
position on both issues," she said. "We believe the American
public has a compelling interest in this information and that public disclosure
would not harm national security. However, we do not have an independent
authority to declassify intelligence information short of a lengthy procedure
in the U.S. Congress."
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- The dispute over declassification could lead to a showdown
between congress and the White House. Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mi., threatened
in a statement at Wednesday's hearing to try to force the administration
to declassify disputed material.
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- "I hope the leadership will let the Administration
know our committee will seek congressional authorization to declassify
appropriate information if the executive branch refuses," said Levin
in his statement.
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- The ranking Senate Republican, Richard Shelby of Alabama,
said that Wednesday's decision -- and other regulations that have prevented
members of the committee from following the work of the joint staff --
threatens the success of the entire committee.
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- "Many members have found it exceedingly difficult
to get information about the inquiry," he said.
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- "They are frustrated by what they perceive to be
efforts to limit their ability to participate fully."
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