antiterror system.
In testimony before the 9/11 Commission, Attorney General John Ashcroft blamed "the old national intelligence system" for the attacks. BUT, for more than two years, The Center for American Progress has hosted online copies of internal Department of Justice documents proving that Ashcroft and his White House bosses had quickly dismantled the antiterror efforts of their predecessors, during the spring and summer of 2001.
Some highlights, from
http://www.americanprogress.org/site/lookup.asp?c=biJRJ8OVF&b=39039 :
"5/10/01 Ashcroft New DoJ Budget Goals Memo (at
http://www.americanprogress.org/atf/cf/%7BE9245FE4-9A2B-43C7-A521-5D6FF2E06E03%7D/ASHCROFTMEMO.PDF ): Out of 7 strategic goals described, not one mentions counterterrorism, a serious departure from Reno{'s 4/6/00 DoJ Budget Goals Memo}"...
"8/9/01 Internal Draft of New Ashcroft DoJ Strategic Plan (at
http://www.americanprogress.org/atf/cf/%7BE9245FE4-9A2B-43C7-A521-5D6FF2E06E03%7D/STRATEGICPLAN.PDF ): ... Specifically highlighted by Ashcroft are domestic violent crime and drug trafficking prevention. Item 1.3 entitled "Combat terrorist activities by developing maximum intelligence and investigative capability" is passed over. After September 11, Ashcroft quickly amended his plans for DoJ's reorganization" (at
http://www.usdoj.gov/jmd/mps/strategic2001-2006/chapter2.pdf ). ...
"Late August 2001 Internal FBI FY2003 Budget Request to Ashcroft (at
http://www.americanprogress.org/atf/cf/%7BE9245FE4-9A2B-43C7-A521-5D6FF2E06E03%7D/FBI03REQUEST.PDF ): FBI specifically asks for, among other things, 54 translators to translate backlog of intelligence gathered (line 3 under Foreign Language Services, cost of $5.1 million), 248 counterterrorism agents and support staff (line 14 entitled CT field investigations, cost of $28 million), and 200 professional intelligence researchers (line 16, entitled Intelligence Production, at a cost of $20.8 million). FBI has repeatedly stated that it has a serious backlog of intelligence data it has gathered but simply does not have the staff to analyze or translate it into usable information." ...
"9/10/2001 Official FY2003 Dept. of Justice Budget Request To White House (at
http://www.americanprogress.org/atf/cf/%7BE9245FE4-9A2B-43C7-A521-5D6FF2E06E03%7D/FY03ASHCROFT.PDF ): shows that Ashcroft ignored FBI's anti-terrorism requests ... Ashcroft was planning to ignore the FBI's specific requests for more translators, counterintelligence agents and researchers, mentioned above. It additionally shows Ashcroft was trying to slash funding from counterterrorism and grants and other homeland defense programs before 9/11." ...
"POST-SEPTEMBER 11: Ashcroft Still Ignores FBI Counterterrorism Requests (at
http://www.americanprogress.org/atf/cf/%7BE9245FE4-9A2B-43C7-A521-5D6FF2E06E03%7D/OMBPASSBACK.PDF )
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