|
Government tries to gag FBI worker over 9/11
|
by Andrew Buncombe, The Independent [London, UK]
April 26, 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-Qaida.
|
|
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-Qaida 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-Qaida 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-Qaida.
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-Qaida 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."
Published by
The Independent [London, UK]
What do you think?
This material is copyrighted by its original publisher.
It is reprinted by Unknown News without permission, solely for purposes of criticism, comment, and news reporting, in accordance with the Fair Use Guidelines of copyright material under § 107 of U.S.C. Title 17.
There's much more than this at Unknown News.
|
|
From the archives, April 26, 2004:
Two questions for
the 9/11 Commission
by Susan Strouss, Unknown News
From the archives, April 19, 2004:
September 11, 2001:
Questions that'll never be asked ...
by Tess Ellis, Unknown News
From the archives, April 14, 2004:
FBI whistleblowers go unheard
9-11 Commission disregards
survivor families' interests
From the archives, April 13, 2004:
Ashcroft's record of
lying to Congress about 9/11
From the archives, April 9, 2004:
Why won't the U.S. cooperate with Sept. 11 prosecutions?
# with comments by H&HH
From the archives, April 9, 2004:
The pre-9/11 blunder
you’ve probably never heard of
From the archives, April 2, 2004:
FBI whistleblower says Rice is lying; Bush knew al-Qaida was planning attack
From the archives,
March 25-26, 2004:
Rice contradicts CIA,
Cheney, Armitage, herself
From the archives, March 22, 2004:
After 2 ½ years asleep,
Wall Street Journal notices
a few oddities about Sept. 11
# with comments by H&HH
From the archives, March 14, 2004:
High-ranking government
officials took Sept. 11 souvenirs
# with comments by
John C. and H&HH
From the archives, March 4, 2004:
U.S. stonewalling may let another terror suspect off the hook
German prosecutor calls
U.S. conduct "incomprehensible"
# with comments by
John C. and H&HH
From the archives, Feb. 10, 2004:
Daschle still says Bush & Cheney asked for no 9/11 investigation at all
From the archives, Jan 31, 2004:
White House seizes notes
from 9/11 investigators
# with comments by H&HH
|
|
|
|
