Clinton Administration

Part 3: Clinton Administration

March 18, 2004

Bill Clinton, former President of the United States

  1. Specifically what information about terrorists, planned attacks and targets did you receive from any source during your terms in office?

• This would include briefings or communications from

· the CIA, FBI, NSA, DOD and other intelligence agencies
· foreign intelligence, governments dignitaries, and envoys
· daily PDBs
· National Security Advisor Sandy Berger, Counter-terrorism expert Richard Clarke, CIA Director George Tenet and FBI Director Louis Freeh

  1. Why wasn’t bin Laden brought to the United States for trial when the Sudan offered to extradite him?
    http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A61251-2001Oct2
  2. What defensive measures did you take in response to terrorist attacks and threats?
  3. Re: this article in Salon, 6-05-02:

“A 1998 memo written by al-Qaida military chief Mohammed Atef reveals that Osama bin Laden’s group had detailed knowledge of negotiations that were taking place between Afghanistan’s ruling Taliban and American government and business leaders over plans for a U.S. oil and gas pipeline across that Central Asian country.

The e-mail memo was found in 1998 on a computer seized by the FBI during its investigation into the 1998 African embassy bombings, which were sponsored by al-Qaida.” http://www.salon.com/news/feature/2002/06/05/memo/index_np.html

• How did al-Qaida military chief Mohammed Atef acquire the information?
• Did he or other members of al-Qaida have access to intelligence information?
• Was it obtained via an informant, phone taps, computer hacking?
• What are the national security implications for a breach of this kind?
• Please discuss the American government’s role and position in negotiations with the Taliban.
• Who else was involved in those discussions?

  1. Former Vice President Al Gore twice contacted the Saudis about terrorist funding through charities. Why didn’t your administration issue sanctions against Saudi Arabia or individuals from that nation who were funding terrorism?
  2. Please describe the three way negotiations in 1996 between the Sudan, Saudi Arabia and US (represented by the CIA) regarding the Sudan’s offer to turn over bin Laden.

? Why did the US decline to take bin Laden? http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/10/03/ret.bin.laden/

  1. In 1999, the US, in cooperation with Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, was planning an operation to kill or capture bin Laden. Before the operation could be executed, Sharif was deposed in a military coup and General Pervez Musharraf assumed power. Musharraf quashed the operation. Originally, in exchange for Shairf’s cooperation, the US lifted economic sanctions.

? Please explain why sanctions were not reinstated when Musharraf refused to cooperate?
http://www.cnn.com/2001/US/10/03/ret.bin.laden/
http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/Archive-2000/me-binladen-06-09.html

  1. The Washington Post (10/03/01) reported that the aborted operation was part of a much broader effort to get bin Laden in which bombing raids and special forces assaults were considered.

? Please explain why those options weren’t pursued?
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?pagename=article&node=&contentId=A61219-2001Oct2

Al Gore, former Vice-President of the United States

“Long before the Sept. 11, terrorist attacks, officials in the White House learned that Islamic charities and wealthy Saudi Arabian businessmen were bankrolling al-Qaida.

By 1999, the evidence was so clear that Vice President Al Gore contacted Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah to set up a secret meeting between U.S. counter terrorism experts and high-ranking officials in Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.” http://www.charleston.net/stories/071703/911_17terror.shtml

  1. Please discuss the intelligence and concerns which spurred your contact with Saudi Arabia in 1999 and 2000 to request that the Saudis and the Royal Family stop funding charities that were contributing to the Al Qaeda.

• Which charities were on that list?
• How much money was being funneled through them?
• Which members of the royal family were involved?

  1. Please describe the steps the Clinton administration had planned to take in order to convince the Saudis to comply with our request to stop the flow of charitable funds to terrorists.
  2. Discuss why the Gore Commission recommendations were watered down and what effect this had on airline security on September 11th, 2001.

Sandy Berger, former National Security advisor

Mr. Berger designed a transition program consisting of 10 briefings with Condoleezza Rice and her deputy Stephen Hadley. http://www.time.com/time/nation/printout/0,8816,333835,00.html

  1. What specific information did you provide Condoleezza Rice, any member of the transition team or anyone within the Bush administration, about terrorist threats?

• What was the source of this information?

  1. In the summer of 2001, what factors contributed to your belief that a terrorist attack was going to happen soon?
  2. Please describe the plan developed by the Clinton administration for dealing with terrorist threats and the al Qaeda.
  3. Did the Clinton administration plan include an invasion of Afghanistan?
    · If so, when was the invasion scheduled for?
    · If a plan was drawn up and not acted upon by the Clinton Administration,
    · was this plan passed onto the Bush Administration?
    · Who received it?
  4. Why wasn’t action taken as soon as counterintelligence became aware that al Qaeda had targeted Americans?

Madeline Albright, former Secretary of State

  1. What information on bin Laden and al Qaeda had you received from

• US embassies
• state department personnel
• foreign governments
• the CIA?

  1. Did you pass information about terrorism, bin Laden, al Qaeda and America’s foreign policy to incoming Secretary of State Powell? If so, please give an overview.
  2. Were all immigrants on visas subject to FBI background checks? If not, why? And, how do we go about recapturing that information and in doing so improve our ability to secure our nation from terrorists?
  3. Did America’s foreign policy during the last decade contribute to the rise of terrorism aimed at America? Please explain.
  4. Please describe the influence of both Saudi Arabia and Pakistan on America’s foreign policy, including the reasons for, and ramifications of, their influence.

Janet Reno, former Attorney General

  1. Under what conditions does the Attorney General have the authority to exert State Privilege? 2. How many times in our nation’s history has it been exerted?