Lawmakers Seek Probe of Leaked Sept. 11 Intercepts THE FBI INVESTIGATES THE FBI
Reuters
June 20, 2002 07:09 PM
By Patricia Wilson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - After complaints from the White House, the chairmen of a congressional probe into pre-Sept. 11 intelligence lapses asked the Justice Department on Thursday to investigate leaks of sensitive information.
President Bush is "deeply concerned" that classified information about secret intercepts with the potential to undermine U.S. national security leaked from a joint inquiry by the Senate and the House of Representatives into the Sept. 11 attacks, White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said.
Bush directed Vice President Dick Cheney to express his concerns to the co-chairmen, Republican Rep. Porter Goss and Democratic Sen. Bob Graham, both of Florida. Later, they sent a letter to Attorney General John Ashcroft asking him to launch an investigation.
The Justice Department said it would act promptly on the request. "We appreciate the gravity of the national security concerns raised by this referral and the appropriate department officials will expeditiously review this matter and take any appropriate action," Justice Department spokeswoman Barbara Comstock said in a statement.
That puts the lawmakers, who are looking into FBI intelligence failures related to Sept. 11, in the position of being investigated by the FBI about the leaks.
Goss said Cheney had not threatened the committee with cutting off classified information nor had he suggested getting the FBI to investigate. Graham said Cheney had not suggested to him that the Justice Department investigate the leaks.
"I assured him I felt very chagrined to have to receive a call from the vice president of the United States and I would do my darndest to get to the bottom of what was going on," Goss said.
The start of open hearings in the Sept. 11 investigation has been delayed until after the congressional recess for the Fourth of July holiday.
The committees had initially planned to hold open hearings next week after two days of closed hearings this week with the heads of the CIA, FBI and the National Security Agency. However, lawmakers said on Thursday that investigators needed more time to determine what intelligence information could be used in an open hearing.
Government sources said on Wednesday that the day before hijacked planes hit the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon near Washington, the National Security Agency intercepted two messages indicating an event was planned, but the communications were not translated until Sept. 12.
'VERY DEEP CONCERNS'
The agency, which eavesdrops worldwide, intercepted messages that said, "Tomorrow is zero hour" and "The match begins tomorrow," the sources said. One government source said on Thursday both messages went from Afghanistan to Saudi Arabia.
"The president does have very deep concerns about anything that would be inappropriately leaked that could in any way endanger America's ability to gather intelligence information, and even that could harm our ability to maintain sources and methods and anything that could interfere with America's ability to fight the war on terrorism," Fleischer said.
NSA Director Lt. Gen. Michael Hayden was among those who testified this week at closed-door hearings before the panel.
The disclosure of the Sept. 10 messages was inappropriate "because it involves risk to our national security that can harm America's ongoing ability to fight and win a war," Fleischer said.
He cited a 1998 leak of NSA information about the agency's ability to listen to Osama bin Laden, the Saudi-born militant blamed for the Sept. 11 attacks, on his satellite phone.
As a result, bin Laden stopped using it, Fleischer said, and the United States "was denied the opportunity to monitor and gain information that could have been very valuable for protecting our country."
The Bush White House is renowned for its discipline and Fleischer said the president was satisfied the leaks did not come from his administration.
"Wherever the source is, the point is the same," Fleischer said. "If it comes from the administration, it's wrong. If it comes from the Hill, it's wrong."
