Sibel Edmonds: I assumed the enemy was foreign

[lukery]

I've put together a quick 5 minute highlight reel of a recent speech by former FBI translator Sibel Edmonds from the American Library Association conference

The intro is:

"I had taken the oath to protect my new country, against all enemies, and this was my chance to serve my country. I assumed the enemy was foreign... within a few months, i came across some serious issues. Wrongdoing. Some of those would be considered criminal, within the FBI. Some of those involved security breaches, 911 related cover-ups, and sabotaged intelligence operations. In one case, due to the pressure of the State Dept and Pentagon, the FBI was prevented from criminally investigating certain US officials who were engaged in actions against our national security, having loyalties to other governments."

The video isn't supposed to be representative of Sibel's entire speech (which you can see here) but rather I've just captured a few snippets about the efforts that Sibel has gone to in the past 6 years to get some accountability.

The FBI repeatedly investigated Sibel's claims (Office of Inspector General (OIG), Office of Special Counsel (OSC), Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR)) and found them to be valid ("Confirmed all, denied none") therefore the Executive Branch simply gagged her.

Sibel then went to Congress which also investigated her case. They found all her claims to be valid, supported by FBI agents and documents, therefore the Executive Branch gagged Congress.

The senators who had investigated, and confirmed, Sibel's case were outraged, and then complied with the gag order.

Sibel then went to the courts. Sibel and her attorneys were kicked out of court so the government could argue it's case in secrecy - where they were free to tell the most outrageous of lies if they so chose. Sibel and her legal team presume that is exactly what happened. The judge said:

"I know this is draconian, but who am I to argue with the government on matters related to national security?"

But as I wrote last week:

"In a recent speech, Sibel again emphasized that the reason that she has been gagged is not for reasons of national security, but rather to cover-up criminality, treason, by high level US officials.

As evidence for this claim, Sibel explained that for the three months prior to Ashcroft blanket-gagging her case, the FBI was conducting unclassified briefings for Congress on the case.

In other words, from the beginning, neither Congress, nor the FBI, even considered that this information might be classified, let alone a 'national security' issue."

It's now August, 2007, folks. Sibel was the canary in the coalmine. 70% of the population now, finally, understand that the Justice Department is corrupt from top to bottom, thanks to Alberto Gonzales' latest shenanigans. 70% now understand that 'national security' is a fraud. 70% now realize, thanks to Pat Tillman and other cases, that 'Executive Privilege' means 'This stuff is too embarrassing.' 70% will soon realize that there is little difference between 'Executive Privilege' and 'State Secrets Privilege.' Sibel has been saying for years that her case has been gagged to cover up criminal wrong-doing and that it has nothing to do with national security. In fact, in an alternate universe, if her story was to break for the first time today, it'd probably be front-page news all across the country, for weeks. For years, there have been many reasons to think that Sibel is crazy - but now only the 28%ers think that those reasons are legitimate.

Watch the video - and tell me which elements don't comport with everything that we now know to be true.

YouTube - http://youtube.com/watch?v=by7lrqFsxSM

Let Sibel Edmonds Speak
Call Embarrass Waxman. Demand public open hearings:
DC phone: [phone]
LA phone: [phone]
Capitol switchboard phone: [phone]
(let me know if you want to be added to my email list which announces whenever I have a new Sibel-related post. Subject: 'Sibel email list')

[lukery]

1. dailykos version

here
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/8/3/73224/71674

(those guys finally appear to be getting their head around this story)

[bjobotts]

46. What is the information she learned? Not permitted to tell or what?

I've read this many times, about how she's been gagged and what she's gone through to try to be heard etc., but I never see what it is she wants to tell us, I mean the proof behind Hastert taking drug money and spreading it around in exchange for intelligence etc.

Because if many congress members were involved ...more than she's aware...maybe that is exactly why Waxman and Ashcroft and others (a lot of others) want and need to keep this all buryied because it incriminates too many people and maybe is over Waxman's head at this point. Maybe they have all been threatened. Maybe it continues today with different players. The whole thing just stinks but with Bushites in power whistle blowers don't fare well if at all. What disillusionment Sibel has been through. Kind of like no good deed goes unpunished huh?

[lukery]

49. What the heck is Sibel Edmonds' Case about?

What the heck is Sibel Edmonds' Case about?
see http://wotisitgood4.blogspot.com/2007/03/what-heck-is-sibel-edmonds-case-about.html

"Because if many congress members were involved ...more than she's aware"
Indeed - there are 4 that sibel knows about- and that's just the Turkish program.

One of her bosses/special agents in charge of Turkey told her:
"Just based on Turkish counter-intelligence operations, you know of FOUR corrupt congressional people. Take a look at this room (of translators), we have the Chinese Department, we have, you know, the Arabic, including Saudi Arabia and everything. How many (other corrupt Congressfolk) do you think they have come across?"
http://lukery.blogspot.com/2007/07/fbi-congress-sibel-edmonds-case_30.html

So, yep, you're exactly right.

[global1]

2. I'm Going To Sound Real Dumb Here - But What Would Happen If .......

Sibel actually told her story or exposed what she knows. Would MSM pick it up and run with it? Who would do anything to her and under what grounds?

[Subdivisions]

3. She could assert her "Personal Privilege" . That way, she

can say or not say whatever she wants and no one can do a damn thing - not even Congress!

[lukery]

5. not 'dumb' at all

you know, sibel has done everything that she can to tell her story - she's told it behind closed doors at least ten times, and she has done everyhthing she can to tell it in public. i'd guess that i know at least 75% of it.

she has told it to every msm journo she could possibly contact - and they all refuse to run with it (except non-US media)

[global1]

9. Two Additional Questions Then ......

1. where can I read what she had to say in "non-US media"? 2. Did she name names?

[lukery]

10. ask away!

feel free to ask any questions (altho i'm not long for bed - i'll be back in a few hours)

from the front page of the UK's Independent (I'd argue it's the best paper in the world)
'I Saw Papers That Show US Knew al-Qa'ida Would Attack Cities With Airplanes'
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0402-01.htm
(altho 911 is only a small part of sibel's case)

see Washington Post (http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/7/20/91935/8867) ""Sensational story of Sibel Edmonds" almost uniformly ignored by U.S. press"

and in terms of names: Richard Perle, Douglas Feith, Dennis Hastert (and others such as Marc Grossman, Eric Edelman)

[leveymg]

45. Are these the same set of FBI managers?

From the 2004 Independent article: http://www.commondreams.org/headlines04/0402-01.htm

She told The Independent yesterday: "I gave (the (911) commission) 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.

and, in the string following lukery's post at Dkos a few days ago: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2007/7/30/82055/9504

Who was the FBI agent in charge? (4+ / 0-)

Sometimes if you dig backwards a little bit the big picture comes to light? (For instance US Attorney Carol Lam and FBI Agent Dan Dzwilewski who also involved in Guam, O'Neill dying on 9/11, and the latest case being dropped involving John W.(Bill) Crews..FBI Dave Hulser) It just boggles the mind what goes on in the FBI and what they know.

by avahome on Mon Jul 30, 2007 at 09:17:04 AM PDT



Comey! (4+ / 0-)
Dale Watson, Comey, Ashcroft, Tim Caruso, and Mueller of course.

by statesecrets on Mon Jul 30, 2007 at 09:33:53 AM PDT

So, please tell us, are they all part of the problem of continuing coverup of crimes of state? Or, is there some nuance that we might be missing here? Can any of them be trusted?

[lukery]

47. good question

good question - and i'm planning on writing a post on that specific comment of statesecrets from dkos.

I don't know the answer to your specific question ("Are these the same set of FBI managers?") but I suspect there's not a direct one-for-one match.

In the second instance, Watson, Comey, Ashcroft, Tim Caruso, and Mueller are the hierarchy that enabled the cover-up (Caruso might be in a different category, he was assistant director / counter-terrorism. Watson too, maybe.)

In the first instance ("specific managers in charge of the investigation") it's not immediately obvious who Sibel is talking about because we dont have all the context. We don't know which investigation she is referring to. I don't think she's refer to Comey/Ashcroft/Mueller as 'managers.'

It's possible that 'specific managers in charge of the investigation' includes Thomas Frields (who was told that bin laden was going to attack) - but my best guess is that 'specific managers' are the folks who were managing the counter-intelligence operation against the ATC etc, the people who refused to hand over any information to counter-terrorism - before 911, at the behest of State, and even afterwards.

It's also possible that Sibel is referring to 'agents' when she says 'managers' - these are the people who are on her side, the people running the operations, Gilbert Graham, Dennis Saccer, maybe John Cole (although Sibel didn't work with him directly.) In this scenario, Sibel gave 911comm the names of Graham/Saccer etc to back up her claims, rather than the names of people who were covering it all up.

To answer your broader question "are (Watson, Comey, Ashcroft, Tim Caruso, and Mueller ) all part of the problem of continuing coverup of crimes of state?" - the answer is 'yes'

[hootinholler]

20. Don't forget the great Vanity Fair article. (2 years ago now?)n/t

[lukery]

28. a foreign journo! n/t

[hootinholler]

32. I guess being published in the Emerald City makes the Post foreign?

:shrug:

Of course Vanity Fair is a US publication, but good info there.

Peace,
-Hoot

[tanyev]

4. Sibel at the ALA. How cool!

I'll have to ask the librarians I work with if any of them went to hear her.

[lukery]

7. i know

i wish i was there.

it's weird in a way. the ALA is kinda mainstream - but sibel has been seen as 'fringe' even in the blogosphere. go figure. let's hope everyone catches up to the ALA!

[G_j]

6. K&R

[StateSecrets]

8. K&R

Great job, Lukery.

'In an alternate universe': Is that what it takes?:-)

[Summer93]

11. FBI

Aside - four convictions were overturned in Boston recently and the wrongly convicted men who were in prison for 29 years were set free because it was found the the FBI withheld evidence that showed that they were innocent! They also were awarded millions of dollars by courts. I think one man got 29 million, two of the men died in prison.

This showed me that the FBI cannot be trusted to follow the law.

[lukery]

35. death penalty

there was a report yesterday that 2/3rds of exonerated death penalty cases were because of INTENTIONAL, not 'good faith,' malfeasance by prosecutors etc.

http://www.talkleft.com/story/2007/8/2/10240/32550

[Psyop Samurai]

12. We all assumed so, Sibel... we all did...

k&r ...will read when I have more time.

[mmonk]

13. Nice to the point summary

and the emphasis of Sibel's words "I assumed the enemy was foreign" which hit me immediately when she said them the first time I heard it.

[lukery]

15. sibel does 'talking points' really well

this was a classic example.

aside: i've been trying to come up with a name for my new blog - and have been toying with 'foreign and domestic' and 'against all enemies' - for the exact same reasons.

[mmonk]

14. And I must say I like the strike through call

and the words embarrass concerning the numbers to call Waxman.

[lukery]

16. it's about time.

Giraldi got it right in April when he titled his article "Waxman’s Witness Protection Program"

http://wotisitgood4.blogspot.com/2007/04/new-phil-giraldi-article-about-sibel.html

let's call these people out.

[StateSecrets]

17. A very good idea

About time!

[lukery]

18. i might try to use that

in a future Title for a diary (i think there might be some technical reasons that make that difficult)

[mmonk]

19. Also, I need videos in wmv format concerning Sibel

for something I'm working on. If not, mpeg for conversion.

[lukery]

29. conversion

i use a free little program called Prism which is ok
http://www.nchsoftware.com/prism/index.html

[baldguy]

21. "... certain US officials ... having loyalties to other governments ..."

???? ... certain GOP-appointed US officials?

[lukery]

33. Richard Perle, Douglas Feith

Richard Perle, Douglas Feith - both appointed by GOP.

Some of the others have been in govt for years.

[alfredo]

40. Yeah, It's OK to be loyal to Israel, but not when you are being paid to

work for the US government. You may be enamored with France, but if you are on the US dime, you better put us first.

http://www.antiwar.com/orig/kwiatkowski.php?articleid=9306

[lukery]

43. criminal activity

it's much worse than being enamoured and/or loyal, we're talking about serious crimes here - not least, espionage.

[alfredo]

56. I know, but I am talking generally. Because split loyalty can lead to

such things.

[AntiFascist]

22. K&R n/t

[superkia]

23. I feel bad that I knew nothing of this!

All this time and I have been ignorant to this whole situation, I hope that it continues to get attention. The system has so many people pissed now that just maybe somehow this will get looked into at some point?

[lukery]

34. welcome to the party :-)

the more the merrier.

let's hope that maybe, finally, this will be looked into.

[diane in sf]

24. I'm amazed Sybil is still alive. eom

[mmonk]

25. More contact information:

Waxman's committee
Committee on Oversight and Government Reform
U.S. House of Representatives
2157 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
[phone]


Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs website

http://nationalsecurity.oversight.house.gov/about/subco...

[BeHereNow]

26. "...having loyalties to other governments." Gee, I wonder WHICH ones?

Of course I won't say which countries come to mind first,
lest this thread be banished to the dungeon...
BHN

[lukery]

30. heh

i can tell you that one of them is Turkey - and another one is the one that you are too scared to name :-)

[BeHereNow]

31. Ah yes, the cuntry that must not be named on DU...

heaven forbid we take a look at reality.
And no, I did not misspell country.
I meant to say CUNTRY.
BHN

[Gregorian]

27. Another reason why their illegal invasion is bogus.

Sibel is proof that the US has phones tapped around the world. And they know, and even knew when attacks would take place. What I'm saying is we don't need to destroy a country to keep the attacks from happening. Of course that's ignoring the fact that Iraq wasn't part of any of it anyways.

Thanks for posting this. It's easy to get caught up in the present crimes, and lose sight of the water under the bridge.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

36. K & R. "...US officials who were...

...engaged in actions against our national security, having loyalties to other governments."

This has been a problem in the US for decades, not just since BushCo.

[broadcaster]

37. Can we find support and protection for her to tell her story?

I know this is theoretical, but can it be made possible for her to
tell everything, but have protection by a foreign entity, or by
domestic interests?

No need to flame, I'm just asking out of desperation. It's clear
that her story in full needs to come out.

[Mr_Jefferson_24]

39. That's a very important consideration in her case...

... she can take down some very big and dangerous people if she ever gets a chance to testify publicly, and that means she needs good personal security in the meantime.

Imagine knowing the kinds of things she does, and can prove, and having the government tell you it's all classified and if you talk we'll put you away for life.

What a horribly corrupt government we have, and it's systemic.

I wonder if at some point she may decide to expatriate to someplace where she can tell the whole story and be protected from the US government.

Congress has turned their backs on her, which probably means she's got the goods on a number very powerful people in government who do AIPAC's bidding.

[lukery]

41. fear for her safety

FBI's country manager for India, Pakistan and Afghanistan says that he fears for her safety 'especially given how high up in the USG this goes' see this video http://youtube.com/watch?v=3Cm-uRQmfUU

re AIPAC: yep.

[wildbilln864]

38. K&R! Demand justice!

Let Sibel Edmonds tell her story to the world! :grr:

[HCE SuiGeneris]

42. Keep on pushing... Lukery, you are one of my heroes.

K & R

[lukery]

44. shucks!

Thanks.

[fooj]

48. I second that sentiment. You're a real inspiration.

:patriot:

[Imagevision]

50. I agree with the other poster, we are living under dictaorship, heil Bush...

[Roland99]

51. Oh, Bush is just a bit player. This has been going on for a long time and in circles beyond him.

[Norrin Radd]

52. k+r

[donkeyotay]

53. I'd love to embarrass our congress into doing what it should

It's ironic that for all the charges of bigotry when that other country is mentioned, there seems to be no reverse concern that criminal activity and subversion of the state could use the fear of being labeled a bigot as a cover for operations.

Good luck with embarrassing congress, though. They appear to be shameless. Perhaps it's because they know that the military declared our nation a war theater, officially in 2002. Maybe they know that all these coincidences aren't so coincidental after all. Maybe they like their checks and their perks and breathing.

[lukery]

55. agreed

agreed, and agreed, and agreed.

[lukery]

54. new sibel-related post

I've published a new short post here
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x1510857

with video!

[J R]

57. New news agency, anyone?

Why can't someone start up the "Anti-FOX News" channel?? Make it everything that Fox isn't, like fair and balanced. There are actually millions of cool libertarian-style Republicans out there, the live-and-let-live type, that see Fox News Channel for what it is: worthless propaganda. And Lord knows everybody else is tired of Fox and all of the rest of the US media sitting on their duffs, not doing their jobs like questioning the government's actions and all. My point is that the US media is rigged, just like the government. I imagine that if a new news agency popped up that actually started DOING ITS JOB, started asking the tough questions and doing some real investigative reporting, people would flock to it by the millions.

[HCE SuiGeneris]

58. morning kick