Do not be distracted...Keep your eyes on the
prize...Tell everyone who cares...The "war on
terrorism" is not the strength of the incredible
shrinking _resident's White House, it is the SHAME of
the incredible shrinking _resident's White House...
Andrew Buncombe, Independent: The Bush administration
will today seek to prevent a former FBI translator
from providing evidence about 11 September
intelligence failures to a group of relatives and
survivors who have accused international banks and
officials of aiding al-Qa'ida.
Sibel Edmonds was subpoenaed by a law firm
representing more than 500 family members and
survivors of the attacks to testify that she had seen
information proving there was considerable evidence
before September 2001 that al-Qa'ida was planning to
strike the US with aircraft. The lawyers made their
demand after reading comments Mrs Edmonds had made to
The Independent.
The Bush administration has been put on the back
foot by allegations that senior officials - perhaps
even Mr Bush himself - were provided with considerable
information warning of an imminent attack by al-Qa'ida
and that they failed to act. Mrs Edmonds said
yesterday: "What are they are afraid of? If I am not
allowed to give evidence, the families will not get
the information I have; that will be that."
She said it was wrong for the Bush administration
to claim it wanted a full investigation. "If there is
transparency, there is going to be accountability and
that is what they don't want."
Repudiate the 9/11 Cover-Up & the Iraq War Lies, Show
Up for Democracy in 2004: Defeat Bush (again!)
http://truthout.org/docs_04/042704A.shtml
Lawyers Try to Gag FBI Worker over 9/11
By Andrew Buncombe
Independent UK
Monday 26 April 2004
The Bush administration will today seek to prevent a former FBI translator from providing evidence about 11 September intelligence failures to a group of relatives and survivors who have accused international banks and officials of aiding al-Qa'ida.
Sibel Edmonds was subpoenaed by a law firm
representing more than 500 family members and
survivors of the attacks to testify that she had seen
information proving there was considerable evidence
before September 2001 that al-Qa'ida was planning to
strike the US with aircraft. The lawyers made their
demand after reading comments Mrs Edmonds had made to
The Independent.
But the US Justice Department is seeking to stop
her from testifying, citing the rarely used "state
secrets privilege". Today in a federal court in
Washington, senior government lawyers will try to gag
Mrs Edmonds, claiming that disclosure of her evidence
"would cause serious damage to the national security
and foreign policy interests of the United States".
Mrs Edmonds, 33, a Turkish-American who had top
secret security clearance, claimed this month that
while working in the FBI's Washington headquarters,
she saw information proving senior officials knew of
al-Qa'ida plans to attack the US with aircraft months
before the strikes. She has provided sworn testimony
to the independent panel appointed by President George
Bush to investigate the circumstances surrounding 11
September.
Mrs Edmonds was subpoenaed by the law firm
Motley-Rice, which represents hundreds of families who
are taking civil action against a number of banks and
two members of the Saudi royal family for allegedly
aiding al-Qa'ida.
Her lawyer, Mark Zaid, said last night: "The FBI
wants to shut her up completely." He said it was
ridiculous to claim that everything Mrs Edmonds knew
had national security implications. Rather, he said,
the FBI wanted to silence his client to save its
embarrassment.
The Bush administration has been put on the back
foot by allegations that senior officials - perhaps
even Mr Bush himself - were provided with considerable
information warning of an imminent attack by al-Qa'ida
and that they failed to act. Mrs Edmonds said
yesterday: "What are they are afraid of? If I am not
allowed to give evidence, the families will not get
the information I have; that will be that."
She said it was wrong for the Bush administration
to claim it wanted a full investigation. "If there is
transparency, there is going to be accountability and
that is what they don't want."
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