Officer Says Pentagon Barred Sharing
Pre-9/11 Qaeda Data With F.B.I.
By PHILIP SHENON, NYTs
As the tangled web of deceit around ABLE DANGER and the fate of it's information and documents begins to unravel, the spotlight is centered on Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer.
John Podhoretz over at The Corner still remains skeptical of Shaffer.
With nothing more to go on than Shaffer's name and his statement, I think it's appropriate to remain skeptical. Since we have heard that the list Shaffer tried to forward to the FBI contained 60 names, it is legitimate to question whether his memory and the memory perhaps of other Able Danger folks has been enhanced by knowledge learned later on -- whether the otherwise obscure name of "Mohammed Atta" might have become part of their recollections after the fact because it became so famous.
Another one still needing more convincing is Mac at Mac's Mind
I'm going to be fair to the good Col. He came forward, he should be applauded at this point. But he hasn't really given us anything of "meat" other than we had before - except that he puts "flesh" on Weldon's story. But we NEED to have REAL team members.
With absolute deference to both of these superb bloggers, I couldn't disagree more.
While the Commission and higher ups in ABLE DANGER themselves may have ample motivation for sweeping the operation and it's findings under the rug, Shaffer himself has nothing to gain and everything to lose. And the "real team members" just may not be up to the risk involved with being a whistle blower. Yet time may indeed provide Mac with that which he seeks.
Colonel Shaffer's lawyer, Mark Zaid, said in an interview that he was concerned that Colonel Shaffer was facing retaliation from the Defense Department - first for having talked to the Sept. 11 commission staff in October 2003 and now for talking with news organizations.
Mr. Zaid said that Colonel Shaffer's security clearance had been suspended last year because of what the lawyer said were a series of "petty allegations" involving $67 in personal charges on a military cellphone. He noted that despite the disciplinary action, Colonel Shaffer had been promoted this year from the rank of major.
Shaffer says he scheduled three meetings in attempts to pass on what he considered vital information, all which met in failure due to legal advice of DOD lawyers. This, to date, has not been denied.
He said he learned later that lawyers associated with the Defense Department's Special Operations Command had canceled the F.B.I. meetings because they feared controversy if Able Danger was portrayed as a military operation that had violated the privacy of civilians who were legally in the United States. "It was because of the chain of command saying we're not going to pass on information - if something goes wrong, we'll get blamed," he said.
The Defense Department did not dispute the account from Colonel Shaffer, a 42-year-old native of Kansas City, Mo., who is the first military officer associated with the so-called data-mining program to come forward and acknowledge his role.
Shaffer tried again to point out the relevance of ABLE DANGER during the Commission's investigation. Another "he said, she said" scenerio with Commission members.
Colonel Shaffer said that he had provided information about Able Danger and its identification of Mr. Atta in a private meeting in October 2003 with members of the Sept. 11 commission staff when they visited Afghanistan, where he was then serving. Commission members have disputed that, saying they do not recall hearing Mr. Atta's name during the briefing and that the terrorist's name did not appear in documents about Able Danger that were later turned over by the Pentagon.
In light of the Commissions handling of ABLE DANGER of the last week, their credibility on statements has far more reason to be questioned than Shaffer's.
With so much at risk, why does Shaffer come forth a third time?
Colonel Shaffer said he had decided to allow his name to be used in news accounts in part because of his frustration with the statement issued last week by the commission leaders, Thomas H. Kean and Lee H. Hamilton.
snip
"I would implore the 9/11 commission to support a follow-on investigation to ascertain what the real truth is," Colonel Shaffer said in the interview this week. "I do believe the 9/11 commission should have done that job: figuring out what went wrong with Able Danger."
"This was a good news story because, before 9/11, you had an element of the military - our unit - which was actually out looking for Al Qaeda," he continued. "I can't believe the 9/11 commission would somehow believe that the historical value was not relevant."
snip
Colonel Shaffer said he assumed that by speaking out publicly this week about Able Danger, he might effectively be ending his military career and limiting his ability to participate in intelligence work in the government. "I'm proud of my operational record and I love what I do," he said. "But there comes a time - and I believe the time for me is now -- to stand for something, to stand for what is right."
Jim Geraghty provides the transcript of Shaffer's interview with CNN on National Review's TKS site, plus excerpts from other Shaffer interviews.
Even now many side bars to the story are surfacing daily. Additional "White" memos revealing the battle within the Clinton admin with respect to how to handle some intel. And for those that love connect the dots games in the conspiratorial world, Capt. Ed weaves a mesmerizing plot in his columum in the Weekly Standard. ABLE DANGER to Atta, Atta's reported travels to Germany, to arrested Iraqis in Germany. It's enough to make one's head spin.
One thing is for sure... the "unable to multitask" MSM finally has something to sink it's teeth into, instead of innundating us with hours of updates on Natalee, Sheehan and the honeymooners. Instead of inflating news about privileged individuals who have garnered the media spotlight over others with similar plights, sensationalizing their emotions and personal traumas, we may actually get deserved coverage about something that affects all of us as a nation. Let's hope that get around to it sooner than later.
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