Richard Clarke launches new 9/11 charge at CIA

Former White House counterterrorism adviser Richard Clarke waits for the beginning of a hearing before the House Armed Services Committee Jan. 27, 2010, on Capitol Hill in Washington. / Getty Images

A former White House adviser who has long criticized President George W. Bush on the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks will reportedly be featured in a documentary advancing an admittedly unsupported theory that the Central Intelligence Agency tried to turn two of the 9/11 hijackers into double agents while they resided in the United States in the years leading up to the attacks.

The top counterterrorism adviser to President Clinton and Mr. Bush, Richard Clarke details his baseless accusation of the CIA recruitment -- and subsequent cover-up upon its failure -- in a radio documentary planned for the upcoming 10th anniversary of the attacks, according to a report in The Daily Beast Thursday.

"I've thought a lot about this," Clarke says in the documentary being produced by FF4 Films, in which he describes his theory as "the only conceivable reason that I've been able to come up with" to explain why the White House wasn't informed of the terrorists' presence in the country, the Beast reports.

During the 9/11 Commission's investigation of the attacks, the CIA said it didn't know the location of the hijackers Clarke refers to, Nawaf al-Hazmi and Khalid al-Mihdhar, the Beast reports.

In the documentary, Clarke says his theory, which he says he has no proof to support, concludes that the CIA director at the time, George Tenet, ordered the cover-up after the recruitment effort failed, the Beast reports. In response to that accusation, Tenet released a written statement saying that Clarke has "suddenly invented baseless allegations which are belied by the record and unworthy of serious consideration."

Clarke's accusation against Tenet represents a dramatic shift from the way he praised the CIA chief during a 2004 interview with CBS' "60 Minutes."

Clarke's take on terror
Video: Richard Clarke speaks out
Video: Bush White House reacts to Clarke's interview

"George Tenet was saying to the White House, saying to the president - because he briefed him every morning - a major al Qaeda attack is going to happen against the United States somewhere in the world in the weeks and months ahead," Clarke told "60 Minutes" correspondent Lesley Stahl about the months leading up to the attacks. "He said that in June, July, August."

Alex Sundby
Alex Sundby is a senior news editor for CBSNews.com

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JohnnnyRebel says:: The 9-11 terror attack was was ultimately "pulled off", in point of fact, by Al Qaeda "patsies" under the direction and control of Israeli Mossad agents - who infiltrated, then manipulated Al Qaeda terror cells here in the USA. Richard Clark is correct about the involvement of the CIA and George Tenet. However, the CIA didn't merely "ignore" Al Qaeda agents who were here in the USA; the CIA assisted the Mossad in executing the 9-11 terrorist attack - then helped cover up these treasonous acts of murder at every oportunity.

On 9-11-2001, Israeli Mossad agents were caught red-handed with explosives in a van at the George Washington Bridge. But then, U.S. Assistant Attorney General and "secret Israeli Mossad agent" Michael Chertoff ordered the FBI to release and deport these terror agents back to Israel! The Jew owned media kept this incident off the air waves and out of the news coverage.

Who had the most to gain from 9-11....Israel. Who has a long history of insidious "false falg" attacks.....Israel.; reply

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JohnnnyRebel says:: The 9-11 terror attack was was ultimately "pulled off", in point of fact, by Al Qaeda "patsies" under the direction and control of Israeli Mossad agents - who infiltrated, then manipulated Al Qaeda terror cells here in the USA. Richard Clark is correct about the involvement of the CIA and George Tenet. However, the CIA didn't merely "ignore" Al Qaeda agents who were here in the USA; the CIA assisted the Mossad in executing the 9-11 terrorist attack - then helped cover up these treasonous acts of murder at every oportunity.

On 9-11-2001, Israeli Mossad agents were caught red-handed with explosives in a van at the George Washington Bridge. But then, U.S. Assistant Attorney General and "secret Israeli Mossad agent" Michael Chertoff ordered the FBI to release and deport these terror agents back to Israel! The Jew owned media kept this incident off the air waves and out of the news coverage.

Who had the most to gain from 9-11....Israel. Who has a long history of isidious "false falg" attacks.....Israel.; reply

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darenfitzger says:: "A CIA 9/11 Cover-Up?" is another article in The Daily Beast from Wednesday August,12 by Anthony Summers and Robbyn Swan.
It's raising the questions if the CIA keep mum about two 9/11 hijackers because it tried and failed to recruit them.

<a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/08/12/richard-clarke-9-11-interview-was-there-a-cia-coverup.html" target=_blanc> http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2011/08/12/richard-clarke-9-11-interview-was-there-a-cia-coverup.html </a>; reply

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rschop1 says:: To further illuminate, what had allowed the attacks on 9/11 to take place, when the CIA continued to allow, FBI HQ agents and managers, and ITOS Deputy Chief Tom Wilshire, to shut down the FBI Cole bombing investigators investigation of Mihdhar and Hazmi, the CIA, knew that they were blocking the one investigation that could have prevented the horrific al Qaeda attack that the CIA had been warned about since April 2001. The fact that Blee, Black and Tenet had refused twice, on July 13, 2001 and July 23, 2001, to give Wilshire permission to give the FBI Cole bombing investigators the information from Kuala Lumpur meeting, and the fact that Mihdhar and Hazmi had taken part in the planning of the Cole bombing at this meeting, is the proof that Wilshire was still secretly working under the control of these powerful CIA managers, even though he ostensibly was working at the FBI HQ, as Deputy Chief of the FBI ITOS unit. Wilshire had been moved over to the FBI from his position as Deputy Chief of the CIA Bin Laden unit and had on January 5, 2000, blocked FBI Agent Doug Miller's cable on Mihdhar, that Miller wanted to send to the FBI which included Mihdhar's passport information, and his multi-entry visa for the US. In his position as Deputy Chief of the FBI ITOS unit, he was actual in charge of all FBI criminal and intelligence investigations in the world. It is clear that Wilshire secretly acted under orders from the CIA, from Blee, Black and Tenet. Wilshire was not only right in the middle of the massive criminal conspiracy to hide the information on Mihdhar and Hazmi from the FBI Cole bombing investigators, but was instrumental in allowing FBI HQ agents and managers to shut down the investigation by the FBI Cole bombing investigators of Mihdhar and Hazmi. What is most horrific, is that the CIA and FBI HQ actually knew by shutting down this one investigation of Mihdhar and Hazmi, that they were sending thousands of Americans to their deaths in this imminent al Qaeda attack.; reply

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rschop1 says:: CBS misses the whole point of the Richard Clarke interview. First Richard Blee was been exposed in main stream media for the first time in history. Second Clarke says information on Mihdhar and Hazmi was withheld from him, and the FBI. He says that this crime was not uncovered by two government investigations. This is not quite right. Information was withheld from the FBI Cole bombing investigators in a massive criminal conspiracy by the CIA, orchestrated by Blee, Black and Tenet. This much is no longer in doubt. When these investigators found out that these al Qaeda terrorists were inside of the US on August 28, 2001, to carry out a horrific al Qaeda attack, and they desperately wanted to investigate and find these terrorists before they could carry out a horrific al Qaeda terrorist attack, their investigation was shut down by FBI HQ agents and managers who were working for Tom Wilshire. Wilshire was secretly still working under the control of Blee, Black and Tenet, even though he was suppose to be working for the FBI. While Clarke has speculated that these managers wanted to recruit Mihdhar and Hazmi as spies, there is absolutely no proof of this. But there is proof that the CIA, wanted to hide this information on Mihdhar and Hazmi in order to cover up their culpability in allowing the attack on the USS Cole to take place. The book, "Prior Knowledge of 9/11", based entirely on US government documents, has the complete details on this.; reply

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shameonbush says:: As time goes on and more information comes out, it becomes even more clear that the Bush regime lead this country like reckless cowboys, drunk with power.; reply

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miachilany says:: This article misses the whole gist of the Richard Clarke interview. Clarke's main point in the interview is that there was basically no way that three senior officials of the CIA could not have known that two of the 9/11 hijackers (Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi) were in the USA in 2000 and 2001, and that these officials intentionally kept that information from him, the FBI, and the White House. These three CIA officials are Richard Blee, head of the CIA Bin Laden Unit, his boss, Coffer Black, head of the CIA's Counterterrorism Group, and his boss, George Tenet, the CIA Director.

Even the 9/11 Commission concludes that "at least" a handful of lower-and-mid level analysts knew these al-Qaeda operatives were in the US, from various information sources within the CIA, but that they "presumably" did not pass it on to their bosses who would have at least included Richard Blee, and/or his deputy, Tom Wilshire. In fact, two CIA officers, Mark Rossini and Doug Miller, admitted to deliberately withholding this information from the FBI upon orders from a senior female CIA officer and Wilshire, who was also temporarily assigned to the FBI Counterterrorism Division.

Clarke's only mentions his theory that the CIA may have been trying to turn the two hijackers, because he cannot see any other reason why these three senior CIA officials did not alert others to the fact that these HJ's were inside the US. Clarke was actually trying to give the three the benefit of doubt for why they did not warn others.

For those who want an unbiased view of Clarke's interview, please go to the following website: http://www.secrecykills.com/; reply

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formrusmcsgt says:

"...he describes his theory as "the only conceivable reason that I've been able to come up with"
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A bizillion conspiracy freaks will immediately buy into it whole hog and will also buy his sure-to-be-upcoming book laying out his "case" as well....


wardove replies:: linkicon reporticon emailicon; I have always believed we where lied too.

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PourpaixPourpaix says:: Well, there does seem to be evidence that the CIA was aware these known dangers were present in the USA. While I'd say the theory is plausible, there's also the state of middle management in a government bureaucracy to consider. You get to middle management by playing games and having a big ego. People who get promoted are far more interested in personal gain than doing what's right. Info like that becomes an exercise in career dynamics, with no regard to removing dangers to the public.

They did the same in Blaine, WA, on the Canadian border. The Feds allowed a high school kid to import and sell drugs in the Blaine High School for a couple years in the 90s. They allowed it to happen so they could get the "big guy" in Canada. Who cares about the kids? A better job is the only thing that matters.; reply

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wardove says:: TIME will tell, then you will be eating those words!Just seek the truth ,Anyone who can allow torture , i would have to question .When bush came in to office thangs changed alot for the bad .Look at the facts
1)he allowed torture
2)stole the election (who was the gov. of the state that had all the voting issues)
3)ppl. who spoke out are dead , look them up see if they live!
4)Building 7 should have never blew up , but it did(who gained $$$ from building 7)
5)Bush wanted to contract one of our big ports out to a muslim security company,also he wanted to sell our airlines and post offices.
6)Now if they planted bombs in building 7 , that means they new about it !
7)katrina response was really bad, we aided japan quicker then our own country.
8)what did bush do when 911 happened , he spent and spent alot of money and we went to war with iraq because he had weapons of mass distruction.Did we ever find any ?
seek the truth ppl. see what you come up with.; reply