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Unanswered Questions : Thinking for ourselves.
Puzzled & Curious
By Sibel Edmonds
July 23, 2004
The countdown is finally over, and a five hundred sixty seven-page Commission report is out. According to the Commission
Chairman, they have seen ‘every single document’ and have interviewed ‘every single relevant witness and authority’.
According to all Commission members, this report should be considered a resounding success, since it encompasses all
information relevant to the terrorist attacks of 9/11, and very little, almost none, has been redacted, classified, or
glossed over. Yet we have heard no one screaming ‘classification’, ‘sensitive diplomatic relations’, ‘highly sensitive foreign business relations’, or ‘national security
implications.’ This is highly puzzling and curious.
This puzzles me, considering that every investigation by the Congress and the IG into my issues, every report involving
my already confirmed allegations involving serious lapses within the FBI, and every legal procedure and due process
dealing with my case alone, has been blocked, gagged, entirely classified, and stopped. It is extremely curious that while investigations and reports on one case alone has created so much havoc, a massive
investigation and a report involving all intelligence agencies and other government bodies, including the State
Department, has evoked zero objections based on ‘sensitive foreign relations’, ‘highly classified intelligence matters’, and/or ‘ongoing intelligence investigations.’ I am highly puzzled and curious.
This puzzles me, knowing the detailed information, I, myself, provided to the commission during a three and a half hour
tape-recorded briefing; yet, finding only one footnote (footnote 25) briefly stating insufficient translation capability
within the Bureau. It is highly curious that the report mentions nothing regarding the ‘intentionally blocked translations by certain Middle Eastern Translators, who also breached FBI security, as confirmed
by the Senate Judiciary’; nothing regarding ‘adamant resistance to investigations of certain terrorist and criminal activities; refusing to transfer them to
Counterterrorism from existing counterintelligence investigations, solely based on the vague notion of protecting
certain foreign relations’; nothing regarding ‘continued efforts to cover up certain highly specific information received prior to September 11, even now, years after
9/11,’; or nothing regarding ‘knowingly allowing certain individuals, directly or indirectly related to terrorist
activities, to leave the United States months after 9/11, without any interrogation, and per the State Department’s
request.’ I am highly puzzled and curious.
This puzzles me, having first hand knowledge of on going intelligence received and processed by the FBI since 1997,
which contained specific information implicating certain high level government and elected officials in criminal activities directly and indirectly related to terrorist money laundering, narcotics, and illegal arms
sales. It is highly curious that the report omitted all this information, knowing that others in the Congress have been briefed on these issues, having been given the
names of targets involved, Special Agents, translators, field offices, and files. I am highly puzzled and curious.
After the many public hearings ‘shows’, where the Commissioners very skillfully played their ‘good cop’ ‘bad cop’ routine, and displayed their life-long
mastery of the political art of saying, but not saying, and asking, but not asking, all parties and all agencies have
readily accepted this report. The President apparently considered the report ‘rosy’ and appropriately symbolized its
presentation in his ‘rose garden.’ The previous administration sighed with relief, having scored a negative 4, compared
to the current administration’s negative 6, in the blame game. The notorious Attorney General, John Ashcroft, left his
over-secrecy and classification guns in their holsters. It is highly puzzling and curious to see that this report ended
up being blessed by all those responsible for our nation’s security and interests, which were severely violated on
September 11. I, for one, am highly puzzled and curious, how about you?
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