-Caveat Lector-
Wednesday, March 12, 2003, 11:45 a.m. Pacific Permission to reprint or copy this article/photo must be obtained from The Seattle Times. Call 206-464-3113 or e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] with your request. Gorton still hasn't received security clearance By Alex Fryer
WASHINGTON � When Slade Gorton was appointed in December to a special commission investigating the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, supporters heralded his lengthy r�sum� and expertise in intelligence matters. But Gorton lacks the one thing he really needs: security clearance to review classified documents. Gorton, a former Republican U.S. senator from Washington, isn't the only commissioner without clearance, so while the FBI completes background checks, the panel is at a standstill. "The slowdown is our own clearances," said Gorton, noting that he can't even read the classified findings of a previous congressional investigation into the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States.
In an earlier interview, Gorton said the commission would "develop a history of intelligence operations, where they fell down, and where there was clear lack of cooperation" among the FBI, CIA and other agencies. Commission co-chairman Lee Hamilton, a former Indiana congressman, said he didn't know how many of the 10 commissioners were awaiting security clearances. But he said the FBI likely would not complete all of the checks by the end of the month. A spokeswoman at the FBI press office in Washington, D.C., said that she had no specific information about the 10 commissioners but that a top-secret clearance typically takes about 10 months and can include information from 15 years in the past. But because Gorton and other commission members have held security clearances, the process could go quicker, said FBI spokeswoman Charlene Sloan. "We do the best we can," she said. "A serious, lengthy background check takes time." Still, it's an odd setback for Gorton and others who were selected for their decades of public service. "It's kind of astounding that someone like Senator Gorton can't get immediate clearance," Hamilton said. "It's a matter we are concerned about." Hamilton said the White House is urging the FBI to expedite the process, which can include interviews with business associates, neighbors and college professors. It has been a rough start for the commission. In December, former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger resigned a month after being named commission chairman over complaints of possible conflicts of interest. Two days earlier, former Sen. George Mitchell, D-Maine, had announced his withdrawal as vice chairman, citing suggestions he should sever ties to his law firm. The law establishing the commission states that members must be "prominent United States citizens," well-versed in intelligence-gathering, law enforcement and foreign affairs. Gorton, a former state attorney general, was elected to the Senate in 1980 and defeated in 1986. He again was elected in 1988 and 1994. He served for two years on the Senate Intelligence Committee during the Gulf War. After his 2000 defeat, Gorton joined the Seattle law firm Preston, Gates & Ellis. The commission must make a report to Congress in 14 months, detailing its conclusions and recommending corrective measures to prevent acts of terrorism. Gorton said the commissioners have decided all recommendations must be unanimous. "Otherwise, the report will simply gather dust," he said. Alex Fryer: 206-464-8124 or [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ctrl.html <A HREF="">Archives of [EMAIL PROTECTED]</A> http://archive.jab.org/[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ <A HREF="">ctrl</A> ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om |
