Sorry Al, the Ashcroft Threat Assessment is real and it's important...

[Junkdrawer]

On the O'Franken factor today, Bob Kerrey said there was no evidence that John Ashcroft received a threat assessment that prompted him to fly private jets instead of commercial airlines. Al Franken, much to my surprise, agreed with this and then went as far as to say he doesn't subscribe to 9/11 conspiracy theories.

Well, sorry Al, but this one is real. Goggle "John Ashcroft private jets" and you'll get a bunch of mainstream, respected news sources who have documented this:


(CBS) Fishing rod in hand, Attorney General John Ashcroft left on a weekend trip to Missouri Thursday afternoon aboard a chartered government jet, reports CBS News Correspondent Jim Stewart.

In response to inquiries from CBS News over why Ashcroft was traveling exclusively by leased jet aircraft instead of commercial airlines, the Justice Department cited what it called a "threat assessment" by the FBI, and said Ashcroft has been advised to travel only by private jet for the remainder of his term.

"There was a threat assessment and there are guidelines. He is acting under the guidelines," an FBI spokesman said. Neither the FBI nor the Justice Department, however, would identify what the threat was, when it was detected or who made it.

More...
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2001/07/26/national/main303601.shtml

And

Nevertheless, he began using a chartered private jet to travel around the country, rather than take commercial airliners as Ms Reno had done. A justice department spokesman said this was done as a result of an FBI "threat assessment" on Mr Ashcroft, but insisted that the assessment was not specifically linked to al-Qaida.

But Mr Ashcroft stopped using commercial flights in July, just as the intelligence "chatter" about a possible al-Qaida strike on US soil was getting louder.

According to yesterday's edition of Newsweek, he had a showdown on counter-terrorism with the outgoing FBI director, Louis Freeh, in the spring of last year in Quantico, Virginia, at an annual meeting of special agents.

More...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/september11/story/0,11209,719231,00.html

Why is this important? Well, we have numerous incidents of FBI agents all but jumping on cars trying to warn us that suspicious characters were taking flight lessons for commercial airliners. We also now have the CIA head briefing the administration daily "with his hair on fire" warning about an imminent al Qaeda attack. The 9/11 commission has to reconcile these two facts without "Bush Knew" gumming up the works. They plan on blaming poor communication between the FBI (especially the top management of the FBI) and the CIA before 9/11. But how will they square that when the boss of the FBI (you know, the ones who are supposed to have no idea of what's going on) has decided to not fly commercial because of a threat assessment?

[ixion]

1. I remember that CBS story

It's really too bad when credible journalism gets labeled as conspiracy theory, and dismissed.

[leftchick]

2. I agree Junkdrawer and I think you should...

email those links to him. Sheesh, just like we have to do for the reich-wing media all the time. Such a disappointment. :(

[Junkdrawer]

6. Got an email address? I can't seem to get to their page...

I tried:

http://www.airamericaradio.com/www/main.cfm

[revcarol]

9. E-mail them to Kerrey at the 9/11 commision.

He needs to take this seriously.

[Junkdrawer]

13. Sent this to [e-mail]...

Subject: Bob Kerrey on Al Franken's show said there was no evidence of Ashcroft receiving a threat assessment...

Body: Well, if one Goggles "John Ashcroft private jets", you'll get a bunch of mainstream, respected news sources who have documented this:

(CBS) Fishing rod in hand, Attorney General John Ashcroft left on a weekend trip to Missouri Thursday afternoon aboard a chartered government jet, reports CBS News Correspondent Jim Stewart.

In response to inquiries from CBS News over why Ashcroft was traveling exclusively by leased jet aircraft instead of commercial airlines, the Justice Department cited what it called a "threat assessment" by the FBI, and said Ashcroft has been advised to travel only by private jet for the remainder of his term.

"There was a threat assessment and there are guidelines. He is acting under the guidelines," an FBI spokesman said. Neither the FBI nor the Justice Department, however, would identify what the threat was, when it was detected or who made it.

More...
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2001/07/26/national/main303601.shtml

And

Nevertheless, he began using a chartered private jet to travel around the country, rather than take commercial airliners as Ms Reno had done. A justice department spokesman said this was done as a result of an FBI "threat assessment" on Mr Ashcroft, but insisted that the assessment was not specifically linked to al-Qaida.

But Mr Ashcroft stopped using commercial flights in July, just as the intelligence "chatter" about a possible al-Qaida strike on US soil was getting louder.

According to yesterday's edition of Newsweek, he had a showdown on counter-terrorism with the outgoing FBI director, Louis Freeh, in the spring of last year in Quantico, Virginia, at an annual meeting of special agents.

More...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/september11/story/0,11209,719231,00.html

I'm sure there are more...

[leftchick]

14. I have not been able to get through either....

perhaps if you tried later in the evening. Calimary has email links to EVERYONE! You should ask her for the links to Kerrey and the 9/11 commission to send it to them also!

[terisel]

3. Possibly Ashcroft took it Upon Himself to do so?

Ashcroft was in the security meetings at the White House leading up to 9/11 and definitely in the loop.

Is it possible that there was no specific threat assessment from the FBI regarding his travel but instead, he took it upon himself or got clearance from Bush or otherwise through the White House to fly government charter?

As head of the DOJ he could have had his spokesperson refer to it as a threat assessment from the FBI or provide technically accurate but misleading information.

[Junkdrawer]

5. Well, then he has some 'splaining to do to re: Coleen Rowley and...

why no FISAs were granted...

Maybe it is Ashcroft whom they are shielding from public testimony?

[JohnyCanuck]

8. And don't forget FBI translator Sibel Edmonds statements

Edmonds held a press conference last week and said back in June an July 01 the FBI should have been issuing warnings because they had enough info on hand to know that terrorists were planning hijackings and going to use planes as weapons etc. She also said that post 9/11 the Dept. of Justice tried to get her to change some of the translations of pre 9/11 intercepts to make the content seem less incriminating. There's a couple threads on this in LBN.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=442067

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=445455

[JohnyCanuck]

4. Yeah, pissed me off

when I heard how they just dismissed it out of hand. And we also know someone advised Willie Brown's (Mayor of San Francisco) security team, on Sep 10th that the mayor should be cautious about air travel. The Franken show caller said that the warning came from Condi. I hadn't heard that one before, but whether it was Condi or not someone knew something was up.

For Mayor Willie Brown, the first signs that something was amiss came late Monday when he got a call from what he described as his airport security -- a full eight hours before yesterday's string of terrorist attacks -- advising him that Americans should be cautious about their air travel.

The mayor, who was booked to fly to New York yesterday morning from San Francisco International Airport, said the call "didn't come in any alarming fashion, which is why I'm hesitant to make an alarming statement."

In fact, at the time, he didn't pay it much mind.

"It was not an abnormal call. I'm always concerned if my flight is going to be on time, and they always alert me when I ought to be careful."

http://www.sfgate.com/today/0912_chron_mnreport.shtml

[tom_paine]

7. Yeah WTF is up with Kerrey

I wasn't sure I bought into the whole Coverup Theory of the 9/11 Commission put this is making me pause and put my :tinfoilhat: back on again.

If there was no evidence of this why wasn't CBS forced to retract.

Kerrey is lying or he has been duped. No other explanation.

There's NO WAY that the Busheviks, who have been known to jump on a bad picture of Bunnypants* with a scolding note to the Post before the ink was dry, would have allowed these to stories be printed if they were false.

NO WAY.

I say again: (although it pains me and I thought I could trust Kerrey) Kerrey is either lying or incompetent.

[JohnyCanuck]

10. Is the fix in?

Is the Fix in at 9/11 Commission.
by Paul Sperry.

Why is the commission bending over backwards to please the White House when it's supposed to be fiercely independent and bipartisan, made up of five Republicans and five Democrats?

The answer may lie in the little-known fact that the White House has a friend on the inside. And not just any friend, either.

His name is Philip D. Zelikow, the executive director of the commission. Though he has no vote, the former Texas lawyer arguably has more sway than any member, including the chairman. Zelikow picks the areas of investigation, the briefing materials, the topics for hearings, the witnesses, and the lines of questioning for witnesses. He also picks which fights are worth fighting, legally, with the White House, and was involved in the latest round of capitulations – er, negotiations – over Rice's testimony. And the commissioners for the most part follow his recommendations. In effect, he sets the agenda and runs the investigation.

He also carries with him a downright obnoxious conflict-of-interest odor, one that somehow went undetected by the lawyers who vetted him for one of the most important investigative positions in U.S. history

http://antiwar.com/sperry/?articleid=2209

[tom_paine]

18. Well, possibly

Distressing, to say the least.

[Junkdrawer]

11. You know, it's because NO ONE can even entertain "Bush Knew"..

that we get the Patriot Act and Homeland Security. Well, the CIA and the FBI really need to start working together, so...

Didn't Clarke testify that the CIA and FBI worked together fine to foil the Y2k attacks...

[boobooday]

12. This went by really fast

But I swear I heard Richard Clarke say he put out the warning to the FAA, which is where Ashcroft got it.

http://www.wgoeshome.com

[GeronimoSkull]

15. Call Franken

Correct him. He needs to deal with facts.

http://septembereleventh.org/

[Junkdrawer]

16. Franken's on Noon till 3PM,and I'm at work...

the boss just happened to be out today...:evilgrin:

[BGrier]

17. Kerrey Didn't Deny The Threat Assessment!

I believe Kerry actually replied that there is no evidence Ashcroft actually flew private planes. That's a completely separate issue from whether or not there was a threat assessment.

I hate to make this analogy but it's a little like Clinton saying "there is no sexual relationship" - technically true but potentially misleading. The commission needs to flesh out this issue. I'm afraid it will be whitewashed.

[Junkdrawer]

19. That's funny, because that is easily proved while what was in...

the threat assessment is what I've always seen debated.