Did AG Ashcroft weaken counterterrorism ON 8/6/01!, out of ...

[skeptic9]

... opportunism in favor of his own domestic agenda?

A post in a thread archived in August 2002 (at http://www.democraticunderground.com/cgi-bin/duforum/duboard.cgi?az=show_thread&om=1922&forum=DCForumID60 ) is incredibly relevant today. In Post #16, "GoreN4" realized the significance of the 8/6/01 PDB (remember, this was written in August 2002!) and points to a possible action at the FBI THE SAME DAY that HINDERED counterterrorism activities using the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. See http://www.fas.org/irp/agency/doj/fisa/dag080601.html (NOTE THE DATE!)

GoreN4 said, "Now, for any attoreys out there in DU what do you make of this document dated August 6, 2001 - the SAME day as President's Bush's infamous Presidential daily brief entitled "Bin Laden Determined to Strike US." It funnels everything through the OIPR (James Baker IV), and this 'Core Group.' LOOKS LIKE IT ESTABLISHES A BOTTLENCK to me...and it would appear that this circle of individuals should be questioned by a National Commission about the whole FISA process, as they were in control of it..."

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From the document GoreN4 linked us to, it appears to me that Ashcroft was trying to use the spring/summer 2001 terrorism scare to grab power and weaken Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth amendment protections for suspects in CRIMINAL prosecutions.

The document seems to try to redirect the entire purpose of FISA warrants and the FISA court from counterintelligence (a legitimate function under 1978 authorizing legislation) to lowering the bar for criminal wiretaps (an illegitimate function). Why else would Ashcroft want the Criminal Division to, for the first time, get a copy of each "letterhead", and want the letterheads to stretch the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act to the very limit of its applicablility to prosecutable cases?

The hidden message of the document seems to be, "Don't waste a shot at a FISA warrant unless it would advance a prosecutable case. FORGET about counterterrorism; my priorities are different from those of all other AGs since 1978."

IMO this document reveals the Ashcroft mindset that the FBI should have virtually unlimited power to, without warrant or probable cause, secretly search anybody's home, tap any phone, and surreptitiously harvest keystrokes typed into any PC.

[NewYorkerfromMass]

1. This is the "cure" as "prevention" admin.

It is painfuly obvious that this bunch has overcompensated (big time)for the lack of terrorism prevention prior to 9/11.
They now think bombing the rest of the world is the solution.

[skeptic9]

4. Ashcroft mentioned this 8/6/01 AAG memo today,

... responding to a question from Slade Gorton. But he made it sound as if the memo was HELPING counterterrorism rather than creating a bureaucratic bottleneck that may have killed thousands of people. What a slime!

[AlinPA]

2. Ashcroft was too busy covering up breasts of statues at Justice

Dept.

[skeptic9]

3. Ashcroft "didn't want to hear about this (terrorism) anymore"

Watching the 9-11 Commission hearings today on C-SPAN? Acting FBI director Pickard (June 28-September 4 2001) just verified a question Benveniste likely will pose to Ashcroft soon.

After quizzing Pickard about briefing Ashcroft on terrorism warnings:

BENVENISTE: "He told you he did not want to hear about this anymore?"

PICKARD: "That is correct"