Whistleblower the White House wants to silence speaks to The Independent

[cal04]

'I saw papers that show US knew al-Qa'ida would attack cities with aeroplanes'A former translator for the FBI with top-secret security clearance says she has provided information to the panel investigating the 11 September attacks which proves senior officials knew of al-Qa'ida's plans to attack the US with aircraft months before the strikes happened.

She said the claim by the National Security Adviser, Condoleezza Rice, that there was no such information was "an outrageous lie".

Sibel Edmonds said she spent more than three hours in a closed session with the commission's investigators providing information that was circulating within the FBI in the spring and summer of 2001 suggesting that an attack using aircraft was just months away and the terrorists were in place. The Bush administration, meanwhile, has sought to silence her and has obtained a gagging order from a court by citing the rarely used "state secrets privilege".

She told The Independent yesterday: "I gave details of specific investigation files, the specific dates, specific target information, specific managers in charge of the investigation. I gave them everything so that they could go back and follow up. This is not hearsay. These are things that are documented. These things can be established very easily."

She added: "There was general information about the time-frame, about methods to be used ­ but not specifically about how they would be used ­ and about people being in place and who was ordering these sorts of terror attacks. There were other cities that were mentioned. Major cities ­ with skyscrapers."

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/story.jsp?story=507514

[mzmolly]

1. OMG!

It's like dominoes folks!

[maddezmom]

2. it's like living in a dream lately

folks are stepping up everyday to denounce the bulshitas.

[Old and In the Way]

3. So when does she go before the 9/11 commission?

Wouldn't the commission be interested in the sworn testimony of someone who sounds like she had direct access to the information?

How does her testimony square with Clarke's? I guess he would have been unaware of this information.

Amazing....

[evworldeditor]

5. She's Already Testified

Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't the story say she's already testified for something like three hours giving names, dates, case file numbers... the whole dang shoot'n match?

[59millionmorons]

7. We could be headed to the mother of all conventions in July

If this is true then it's over for Bush.

[Old and In the Way]

8. I don't think so, but I could be wrong, too.

Seems I heard that one of the 9/11 widows hosted her for a media conference outside and during the 9/11 hearing.

Given the value of these revelations and the relevance that it has to the 9/11 Inquiry, I don't know how it could not be added to the record.

[sonias]

4. Sibel Edmonds is very credible

She has been trying to get this story out for a long time. I think the time is ripe now. A lot had to do with translations not being done, at least that's what she found. She also found that people at the FBI tried to sabotage her work. She was on 60 minutes also and yes they have a gag order on her now.


Here are a couple of story links

http://www.govexec.com/dailyfed/0304/032404c1.htm
March 24, 2004
Sept. 11 commission cites intelligence agency failures


We should have had orange or red-type of alert in June or July of 2001
http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2004/03/26/translator/


http://www.thememoryhole.org/spy/edmonds.htm
FBI Employee Blows Whistle on Suspicious Activities by Coworker


Sonia

[cal04]

9. Democracy Now!" also interviews Sibel Edmonds,

AMY GOODMAN: Sibel Edmonds, you testified before the 9-11 Commission. You also held a news conference right outside the hearings, right before Richard Clarke testified. What has been the media response?

SIBEL EDMONDS: First of all this issue has been out there for almost two years. Every few months, there has been an article here or an article there, and first of all, if -- major news sources don't perceive it as a news item because it's not news, it's an issue. It cannot be news because specifics are withheld and by this real, real strong State Secret Privilege. So how many specifics and evidence can be given to the media, and how much of this information can be provided? It is very limited. News sources such as yourself are the ones who actually have been paying attention to these issues and have been pursuing it and calling the Senate and calling the Inspector General's Office and following up on that, but I have not seen major activities within the larger mass media sources. I don't know why. I don't know why, really, to be honest with you, I don't know.

AMY GOODMAN: What do you expect of this 9-11 Commission hearing?

SIBEL EDMONDS: I am still holding onto my optimism. I'm expecting on this April 13 and April 14 during the hearings with Director Mueller, I'm expecting them to ask the real questions. Now, I am expecting that their report will be different than the report that was issued by this Joint Intelligence Inquiry that they had which was basically nothing. And so far, I have been very disappointed, because the real issues, the specifics get to the address behind closed doors under this blanket of security and secrecy. Most likely from their reports, the real issues are going to be redacted because they're going to be citing classifications, and then what good is that report going to do, or what use is this hearing going to have? That's the question. I'm hoping that from these attentions that we have been receiving from the press in terms of the issues that have been raised by, again, Agent Rowley, Clarke, Mr. Clarke's testimony, people would raise their expectations and expect to hear the real questions being asked from Director Mueller during this hearing. This is what I expect, and this is what I'm hoping. Another issue is to actually see the Senate exercising their oversight authority that has been given to them by the public. Because to this date, what I have been hearing repeatedly is that, in quotes, “Our hands are tied. You see the climate. Our hands are tied.” Well, in a way, that is not acceptable. Because they have been given the responsibility and authority to execute this oversight, and so far to this date, it hasn't been exercised.
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/03/31/1616221

[sonias]

10. thanks for the link cal04 and welcome to DU

Amy Goodman is great. I hope that Sibel Edmonds gets the credit she deserves. She's been trying to get someone to listen to her story for 2 years. She has been a true patriot sicking it out. She volunteered to do translations as her part in trying to help after 9/11. And what did the Govt. give her, a gag order to shut up.

Sonia

[cal04]

12. Thank you Sonia

glad to be here. I have listened to a couple of Amy Goodman's shows and like her very much. It would be nice if Air America would put her on.

[Kelvin Mace]

11. Unfortunately,

the corporate media is avoiding her like the plague.

David Allen
Publisher, CEO, Janitor
Plan Nine Publishing
http://www.plan9.org

[SaintLouisBlues]

14. Maybe the tide is turning

ABC Radio just led with this story at 9:00 CST.

[jimshoes]

6. Is this the woman who was asked

to alter documents regarding the planes as missiles intel? It was discussed a few days ago here but I don't recall if this is the same person.

[RainDog]

13. The issue, as I understand it

Edmonds told 60 Minutes and Gail Sheehy (in a NY Observer article in Jan) that another woman, "Jan" Dickerson (Dickenson?), who was the wife of a Major, had taken things which Edmonds had translated and retranslated them...this woman and her husband, it seems, were also trying to recruit Edmonds and her husband to spy for some group which Jan was supposed to be monitoring in her translator job.

Edmonds, AFTER 9-11, was asked to go back and translate articles which field agents had sent in, to see if there could have been something in them.

Edmonds says that things which had been summarized previously in fact contained much important information "buried" in the summaries.

From what Edmonds says, I get the impression that the information was in various documents BUT the information was NOT handled well by the translator(s) at the least, and the summaries did not give the information contained in the documents to people in the field.

Edmonds does not seem to be saying that there was knowledge, across the board, about the planes, but rather than there was information available which, either because of willful misleading or incompetence, did not make it beyond the translation dept.

Considering her remarks about the woman who seemingly tried to recruit Edmonds to spy (that woman has since left the country, btw), it sounds to me like there was a mole in the translation dept keeping information away from agents.

This, of course, is a major scandal.

WHO the spy was working for is another issue...and one that is not clear, although some have speculations which certainly should be investigated.

[i_c_a_White_Ghost]

15. I think the people of this country know

they've been lied too by this administration..but somehow they are willing to forgive them (bush) because they feel we had to kick some butt in Iraq! I also think they don't believe he could have stopped 9/11 so he is excused! I believe they think all these people coming forward just represent sour grapes. I hope I'm wrong.

[Skittles]

16. I HEARD THIS ON THE RADIO NEWS TONIGHT

IN TEXAS !!!!!