An October Surprise for Bush and the FBI?

[seemslikeadream]

FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds talks about her case --and hints at a forthcoming scandal

by Steve Perry

Sibel Edmonds's claims of incompetence, malfeasance, and possible espionage in the FBI's translation unit have received only sporadic attention since she first aired them widely in a 60 Minutes report in October 2002--not least because of the veil of silence that the Bush Justice Department has tried to draw over the case. In July of this year, a Bush-appointed judge dismissed Edmonds's lawsuit against the FBI on the grounds that the case would necessarily expose state secrets. Judge Reggie Walton's logic parroted that of Attorney General John Ashcroft, who in May 2004 issued an order retroactively classifying all the information that had been presented to Congress in her case because of its alleged national security sensitivity.

But l'affaire Edmonds is heating up again. Last month Edmonds filed a new lawsuit seeking to compel release of the documents in her case under the Freedom of Information law. And last Tuesday's page one New York Times story about the 120,000-hour backlog of untranslated intelligence tapes the FBI is presently sitting on lent additional credence to her charges. (Some al Qaeda communiqués, the Times reported, were automatically deleted by the overloaded computer system in the department before they could be translated.)

It wasn't the first time Edmonds had been featured on the front page of the Times; she was the subject of a July 29 dispatch which disclosed that the DoJ Inspector General had completed a report--classified, of course--concluding that her whistleblowing activities were a factor in her April 2002 firing, after just six months-plus of employment at the FBI.

Despite the legal walls the FBI and the Bush administration have attempted to build around her case, it's nonetheless clear from letters and documents that are already irretrievably in the public realm that Edmonds's claims (give or take those of Richard Clarke) may be the most explosive yet lodged against the U.S. government's anti-terrorism work post-9/11.

more
http://www.citypages.com/databank/25/1244/article12523.asp

[el_gato]

1. The FBI is a political operation

and has been since its inception

[gatlingforme]

9. Right, think of who made the FBI what it is -- Hoover.

[mmonk]

2. Yes

I posted this in GD at an earlier date. It will only be big if the broadcast media follows it however, in my opinion. Most voters don't have a clue about it all.

[gandalf]

3. We may hope so. But up to now

the administration, the FBI and CIA were very proficient in covering dirty things up -- after all, they have years of experience...

[sattahipdeep]

4. What's going on? Confusing....

So what happened to Krongard?
demoted? promoted? quit? retired?

He's not number three any more?

Did he slip in the shower too?

....
Goss now must find a new nominee for the No. 3 post, in effect the CIA's chief operating officer.

Mysteriously, without being provided any explanation on why????
....
In the interim, Martin Petersen, the "deputy executive" director, will be acting director.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A6122-2004Oct4?language=printer

Krongard?

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

5. Yes! At last. This HAS to be aired

write everyone, Congress, press...

let's twist this one up, up, up!

[emad]

6. "Ambassador had links to organised crime" - that's the story

that has been gagged in the UK press since William Stamps Farish III made a hasty and untimely/unexplained exit from the US embassy in London last July.

I personally know of two experienced, dedicated political journalists who freelance for UK and European press and agencies, who have repeatedly attempted to place this story in the public domain but have been gagged for the farcical reason that it would be damaging to the UK monarchy (ie "Elizabeth Windsor").

I understand the gist of their story is that Farish, while Poppy's bagman and blind trust portfolio manager between 1980-88 and 1988-92, also acted as go between for the attempted illegal transfer of funds that Diana, Princess of Wales attempted to sequester in her name and deposit in the Bahamas. The source of these funds is disputed but may be linked to BCCI accounts held in joint names with third party nominees.

Further, that he was instrumental in attempting to transfer other offshore funds after her death to accounts nominally operated on behalf of William and Harry which John Major, as their 'legal guardian and trustee' opened. The sums were traced to sources linked with UK organised crime, in particular Carl Cushnie of the Vivendi Group.

And even further, that renegade ex-MI6 officers sacked for gross misconduct, running paramilitaries in the Real IRA and implicated with Mossad black ops, reported directly to Farish in this respect.

The other link in this story is that Farish is closely associated with payments made to FBI's Bob Hanssen who has received life terms for spying. And that Hanssen's personal links to known UK terrorists, run as mercenaries for MI6 and subsequently rescued by Blair's Good Friday Agreement, ensured he was able to cover up his actions.

I also understand that Farish's wife Sarah had a personal financial involvement with the Vivendi Group which crashed owing £££££££££££s and resulted in Cushnie being imprisonjed for fraud.

Wish I had more to post as well as a link.

I understand that the journalists attempting to publish this in the UK press are applying to the High Court for the lifting of gagging orders on this story as well as anything implicating Farish with organised crime/collusion with security/intelligence agencies.

Will definitely post anything when it comes up.

[clydefrand]

7. I just sent this link to the editor of

the Roanoke Times and asked if he would please verify this and to report the truth. And I thanked him for the job that the newspaper does.

I encourage everyone to do the same.

Together, we can get the news to the media. I'm going to send it to reporters on CNN as well.

[AndyTiedye]

10. The Media Already Has the News -- They Won't Print It

> Together, we can get the news to the media.

[Jane Austin]

13. Maybe the National Enquirer would print it.

n/t

[sattahipdeep]

8. Reggie Walton

Edmonds:
They are playing it both ways, but unfortunately
no one is challenging that. Not the courts,
especially this particular judge. Which is very
interesting. My case went from one judge to
another judge, mysteriously, without being
provided any explanation on why, until it landed
with this judge, Reggie Walton, who was
recently appointed by President Bush. And it
stayed in front of him. So neither the judges nor
Congress is challenging these actions.

http://www.citypages.com/databank/25/1244/article12523.asp

[Supersedeas]

11. al-Queda communiques auto-deleted by overloaded computers-Nothing to see

here...back to innane polls and the President's pep-rallies.

[teryang]

12. Just to correct one inaccurate statement

Edmonds says that "they" are gagging Congress. This is not possible.

A Congressman or Senator can release whatever information he or she wants from the floor of the Congress. No one can stop them, nor can they be prosecuted for violating secrecy laws or classification restrictions. Collecting and publishing information is a core constitutional function of the Congress coming within its duty to inform the public. A member of Congress performing this duty has total immunity from anything the Justice Department might do. It is called separation of powers.

The truth is that nobody in congress wants to stick their neck out. They are afraid.

[On the Road]

14. I Didn't Know That, Teryang

Very good thing to keep in mind for letters to our representatives.

[al bupp]

15. Good Idea

Here's the text of my message to Vermont rep, Bernie Sanders (who must have one of the safest seats in congress)

Dear Mr. Sanders,

The case of FBI wistleblower, Sibel Edmonds, has got to be talked about within the halls of congress. Ms. Edmonds alleges "incompetence, malfeasance, and possible espionage in the FBI's translation unit". She was fired for what she claims were political reasons, and a subsequent lawsuit she filed was dismissed on the grounds of national security by a Bush appointed judge. The following link goes to a recently published article on this matter:

http://www.citypages.com/databank/25/1244/article12523.asp

From the article:

"Despite the legal walls the FBI and the Bush administration have attempted to build around her case, it's nonetheless clear from
letters and documents that are already irretrievably in the public realm that Edmonds's claims (give or take those of Richard Clarke) may be the most explosive yet lodged against the U.S. government's
anti-terrorism work post-9/11."

I urge you to use the power of your office to call for an investigation into Ms. Edmonds claims. As a congressional representative you can release whatever information you want from the floor of the Congress. Collecting and publishing information is a core constitutional function of the Congress coming within its duty to inform the public.

Thank you for your time.

[Mr E McSquare]

18. Oooo....

God idea! Better then that I'm gonna pay a visit to Bernies office this afternoon.
Its only about twenty minutes from my work!
Thanks for the idea!!!!!!

[WannaJumpMyScooter]

16. Yeah, they CAN do that. But we are talking about going against

the BFEE... and people who do that seem to have bizarre accidents, or wives do, or kids... these are ruthless people.

ask, oh, the Clintons, Vince Foster's widow, E. Howard Hunt, the Wellstone family, the widow of Ron Brown, anyone who has seriously studied the JFK assassination, Watergate, or the Bay of Pigs, ask John Hinkley, or the people bilked out of millions in Savings and Loans scandals, for that matter ask all the disappeared people in Central America, Iraq, Afghanistan, and Uzbekistan.

Oops, you can't. They are still scared.

:tinfoilhat:off

[al bupp]

17. Kick

:kick:

[lovuian]

19. And Bush says his administration is fighting Terrorism when

it deletes AlQuida transmissions

Its obvious Bull!!!

[Search Party]

20. media blast every day until they report it

:dem: :kick: :dem: :kick:

[0007]

21. btt

[seemslikeadream]

22. FBI Audit Leaves Vital Questions Unanswered by Sibel Edmonds

October 7, 2004
FBI Audit Leaves Vital Questions Unanswered
by Sibel Edmonds
Glenn A. Fine, Inspector General
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW Suite 4322
Washington, D.C. 20530-0001

Dear Mr. Fine:

I have reviewed the recently released redacted and unclassified version of your department's audit of the FBI's Foreign Language Program. Your report helps to bring badly needed attention to serious problems within the FBI's translation department; problems that must be corrected for the department to be effective in its role on the frontline of the war on terror. As you are aware, over two years ago I reported serious issues and problems within the FBI's translation units, with serious consequences to our national security and the war on terror. I am still awaiting the results of your long due report on the specific cases and issues I reported to your office and to the United States Senate. On one hand, this report draws attention to the problem of the backlog of untranslated intelligence by putting forth shocking numbers. On the other hand, other equally or more serious problems with even more significant consequences were completely ignored. Inaccurate translations due to incompetence and/or intentional acts, intelligence sabotaged by high security risk translators with questionable loyalties, criminal activities ranging from serious security breaches to facilitating the acts of sabotage, corrupt hiring practices, and serious mismanagement are among those issues that greatly impact the reliability and integrity of intelligence gathered and analyzed on the front lines, for as you state in the report

"The FBI's linguists play a critical role in developing effective intelligence and Counterterrorism information. Linguists are the first line of analysis for information collected in a language other than English."

Your report omitted information regarding tens of thousands of inaccurately translated documents. As you are fully aware, intentional mistranslations and mistranslations due to incompetence constitute a significant portion of the FBI's translated intelligence. According to your report, "more than 89,000 hours of audio and 30,000 hours of audio in other Counterterrorism languages have not been reviewed. Additionally, over 370,000 hours of audio in languages associated with counterintelligence activities have not been reviewed." Although these numbers by themselves are appalling, this data is misleading and not nearly complete, since it fails to also address the fact that of those documents considered translated, many were inaccurately translated, and the fact that of those documents considered reviewed but found "not pertinent to be translated" by translators, many were, and are, pertinent. The following are but a few questions and examples:

more
http://www.antiwar.com/edmonds/?articleid=3724

[Name removed]

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