State Dept. Confirms Rice CIA Briefing

Spokesman Says She Got CIA Briefing in July 2001 But Information Was 'Not New'

(AP)  Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice did receive a CIA briefing about terror threats just about two months before the Sept. 11 attacks, but the information was not new, her chief spokesman said.

In doing so, Sean McCormack confirmed a meeting — on July 10, 2001 — that his boss had said repeatedly she could not specifically recall. She had said earlier that there were virtually daily meetings at the time.

A new book by reporter Bob Woodward of Watergate fame describes the White House meeting as an emergency wakeup call that Rice had brushed off. Rice was President Bush's national security adviser at the time; she was promoted to the top diplomatic job last year.

Although spokesmen for the State Department and the National Security Council indicated Sunday that such a meeting had taken place, Rice was still saying Monday that she was not sure about it. She said she would have remembered the sort of forceful warning the book claims was conveyed there.

"We can confirm that a meeting took place on or around July 10, 2001," McCormack said late Monday.

"The information presented in this meeting was not new, rather it was a good summary from the threat reporting from the previous several weeks," he added.

Woodward's book "State of Denial" recounts the meeting among then-CIA Director George Tenet, Rice and the CIA's top counter-terror officer. The book said the session stood out in the minds of the CIA officials as the "starkest warning they had given the White House" on al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and his network.

McCormack said that after the meting, Rice had asked that the same material be given to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and then-Attorney General John Ashcroft.

Materials from this meeting were made available to the independent Sept. 11 Commission, and Tenet was asked about the session when interviewed by the commission, McCormack said.

The meeting is not part of the commission report, but was referred to obliquely in a report by the commission's predecessor, a joint congressional panel that investigated the 9/11 attacks. That report said that "senior U.S. government officials were advised by the intelligence community on June 28 and July 10, 2001, that the attacks were expected, among other things, to 'have dramatic consequences on governments or cause major casualties' and that 'attack preparations have been made. Attack will occur with little or no warning."'

Meanwhile, Ashcroft said Monday that he should have been notified of any such report dealing with a pending attack on the United States. "It just occurred to me how disappointing it was that they didn't come to me with this type of information," he said in an interview with The Associated Press.

"The FBI is responsible for domestic terrorism," Ashcroft said. He said both Tenet and Black should have been aware that he had pressed for a more aggressive policy in going after bin Laden and his followers in the United States and should have briefed him as well. Rice knew of this advocacy, he suggested.

According to the Sept. 11 Commission, Ashcroft was briefed on July 5, 2001, "warning that a significant terrorist attack was imminent." The report noted that the briefing addressed only threats outside the United States.

[janemcgreeve]

Aaaaaah, the Democrats and their neo-Fascist allies.

Whenever they cry Racism, they convienently forget Robert KKK Byrd or Jesse "Hymietown" Jackson.

Whenever they cry Perversion, they convienently forget Gerry Studds, Barney Frank, Jim McGreevey, Mel Reynolds, Bill Clinton, Teddy Kennedy, and Gary Condit.

Whenever Barbie Boxer cries Sexual Harassment about Bob Packwood or Clarence Thomas, she urges us to move on when it comes to Brother Bill.

And of course it is soooo *** easy to blast Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld. But heaven forbid the cowardice of Carter, Clinton, the dissing of our military by Clinton and Kerry. The betrayal of the Shah, the half-assed missile strike on Afghanistan after the embassy bombings.

Or Missy Half Bright and Sandy Burglar urging Richard Clarke to leave Osama alone as Billy was in the midst of sensitive negotiations with Arafat. This after the Cole was bombed.

Care to come up with any real solutions, instead of lies, hypocrisy, and just plain bull, Demmies?

[pakaal]

Let's see if I can catch up with Condi's never-ending story. First she declares that the July 10, 2001 meeting with CIA Director Tenet and assistant never happened. Then after White House records reveal it happened, she declares that if Tenet had revealed a substantive threat at the meeting she doesn't remember, that she would have remembered the threat. Now that details about the meeting are released, what's the latest version? She says she remembers the information that she didn't remember, at the meeting she didn't remember, but that the information she didn't remember wasn't new information.

Meanwhile, Ashcroft jumps in and complains that he didn't get the information either, and that this was "disappointing". And once again, White House records indicate Ashcroft did indeed get the same briefing from Tenet!

Of course in typical Republican apologists' fashion here in the comments section, what's their take on Rice and Ashcroft's ever-changing story? "Yeah, but what about Madeleine Albright?" Love it!

Let's stick to the subject at hand, shall we? Rice and Ashcroft are scurrying to cover up the fact that they received a briefing that the CIA director called a 10 out of 10 scale threat, and blew it off. Sorry, but no amount of spin can excuse this!

[long_rider]

I don%u2019t know what criteria the chimp used when selecting candidates for these appointed positions, but what ever it was it was wrong. Prior to hooking up with the chimp Condi never managed a department of this size and scale. She is nothing more than a puppet that the chimp pushes out on center stage, and presents the chimps political philosophy. As a Sec. of state she is a failure, as is the Sec. of Defense. Who was that FEMA glamour boy?

A manager is only as good as the experienced people he selects to help him. Well we all know the chimp%u2019s track record on that one.

As for the warnings! When was there a congressional investigation conducted on the 9/11 attacks? I must have missed that one. I wonder why they did not mention the eleven nations that warned our government about 9/11? There is so much about 9/11 that is still wrapped up in secrecy, and national security. It sure would be helpful to America to have an honest, and open, investigation into 9/11. There are millions of Americans who think that the attacks were a scam, and having one of the chimps top people come up with memory loss about pre-9/11, just adds credence to people%u2019s suspicions

[grazinggoat]

Gotcha JaneMcGreeve, I'm already a scapegoat!. Of course! I can take the pressure of scapegoating. In times when nations try to devour other nations, invade them, take the wealth and run away without any development, or good returned back to them, that will create, into these nations, some unimaginable and unprecendented revolts.

You just think of yourself as an egocentric. In today's world everything is interconnected. President of USA cannot just think of the interest of USA only. He rather ought to think of the consequences of his acts upon the populations of other nations.

You don't govern just for your nation, you got to forsee what reaction could happen in the other nations.

[grazinggoat]

In our case here, the group that stole the elections with the blessing of the US-media controlling group , are at least driving a war on an errounnous cause, purely invented in order to make the armement economy of the US to run, and avoid the depression the USA would have fallen into, would this war not have happened.

KFC and Krispy Cream's economy is not strong enough to hold up the USA alone. It has to indebt the future generations for millions and billions dollars.

Finally who pays for all that. You, me, my kids and yours, for the next few generations.
For that purpose I'm ready to be the scapegoat!

[janemcgreeve]

grazinggoat,

ever hear of the scapegoat? Tag, you and that other white covered boy Byrdie are it.

[janemcgreeve]

Had Enough.

Then vote out all Democratic candidates out of office, put in Republicans who won't cower to the ILLEGAL lobby, who won't tax the dickens out of you (and prove those of you who will respond with your typical bs that your deans, kerrys, and clintons won't), and who will at least try to win the war on islamofascism - unlike the hapless murthas, kerrys, clintons, and harrie reids.

C'mon Dem apologists and Neo-Fascists, bring on your lies and rants about Hannity and Halliburton and Foley...I'm sure McGreevey, Studds and the Heinz Corporation will approve.

[janemcgreeve]

oh cincigirl,

I suppose that Missy Albright was any better? She seemed to have a typical reluctance to bomb Arab terrorists, yet when it came to bombing people who saved the lives of her and her moral coward parents, she was jumping up and down with glee.

I'm no fan of Condi Rice's - but there is even more lies and deceit over with the other party than there will ever be with the Republicans, whether you can face the truth or not.

Albright ran begging after Yasser Arafat to come back to peace talks he openly and contempuously rejected. Albright then went home and told Richard Clarke and John O'Neill that it was more important to talk "peace" with the perverted monster than it was to bomb Bin Laden. As for the rest of the Clinton National "Security" team, do you want to know the truth, or are you comfortable with your own lies, hon?

[cincigal74]

When one considers just WHO this person is,it is not so surprising that she lies at every turn.She is clearly out of her league,much as the Miers woman whom Bush tried to place on the Supreme Court.It seems he dosent want anyone who is not dumber than he is in his administration.

How many more lies can we accept from this corrupt and deceitful administration.

They shouldn't be impeached - they should be jailed for their crimes against the United States and humanity.

[grazinggoat]

Alzheimer early signs. We want her incompetency out. Will her bosses (G.Walking-LiarBush, DickkeyCheney and Rumsfled) pay for the people who've been victim of the WTC tragedy? Denial, denials, and by way of deception... Untill sky falls on their head. Bleak future for this gang.

Time will tell how deep they were involved into fomenting this whole episode of terror and precausiouly minimizing risks of him (president) and his gang being hit. Time will tell how deep they were responsible of the souls lost during the horrendous attack by the terrorist piloted planes. They needed, eagerly, a justification to go after Saddam, and finish the job the Holy father had not finished.

[stick130]

How is it that everyone involved in the meeting with Rice can remember? If the FBI told me terrorist were going to bomb my house,I think I would remember that. Maybe she was too busy getting ready to shop to pay any attention to alQaeda and Osama,all she was, was an inept National Security Advisor at best.The public will send her a message on Noverber 7th. It will be one she will never forget! That will be the day when the whole world will rejoice.Let the hearings begin.Impeachment is so close,I can almost taste it! With a new Congress,there will be a Going Out of Busisness sign on the White House Lawn.

[bluestardad]

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has no more credibility now than when she was National Security Advisor in 2001. Then in August 2001 she could not find actionable intelligence in a National Security Briefing titled %u201CBin Laden Planning to Attack inside United States Using Passenger Aircraft%u201D. She has once again shown why she has her current job as she is loyal to President Bush and his administration no matter how messed up he is, nor how many lies he tells, or how many Americans Die because of their failed policies, she supports him. But Condoleezza Rice has long ago learned the art of dodging an honest question. She just uses the standard fall back phrase %u201CI do not recall%u201D%u2026since ignorance and a bad memory cannot be prosecuted she and the rest of this administration have used this phrase as their main defense against questions of their ineptitude and deception. Remember a vote for Republicans is a vote for %u201CStay the Course%u201D and the deaths of more Americans. Oh yea those pushing this war the most have never served in the military and some have never even registered for the draft.

Michael Boetjer
Captain U. S. Army
Double Blue Star Father

[the74blaster]

This is unbelievable. I cannot believe how many things are coming to light regarding GOP failures (Foley, Rice, Iraq and the federal response to hurricane Katrina to mention a few...I need more than 1500 characters to mention them all!) and they still have a chance to retain their majorities in congress! If the Democrats cannot win both houses given their advantage of being the only feasible alternative to the GOP, then its high time for an Independent Party.

Based on this information it appears that the GOP's war on terror is about as effective as the response to hurricane Katrina. Can anyone tell me what the admitted 500 billion for the war on terror was spent on and what type of return on investment we as taxpayers can expect?

Its time for a change in leadership. The credibility of our nation as leader of the free world is at stake!

[pakaal]

Amen, Sergeant. Someone with memory lapses about CIA briefings of imminent attack just two or three months before they happen, now saying she doesn't remember? Not exactly Presidential caliber in my opinion either.

[exusmcsgt]

pakaal-

Agreed. And even worse, some mention this idiot as a candidate for president! One moron per generation should be more than enough and we've already met that quota.

[xfredmenzies]

Yeah, so she lied. She lies on every Sunday morning talkshow every stinking week. But she would never lie under oath, because Bush will never her let her speak under oath. See how clever that is?

[pakaal]

I'm getting dizzy. She doesn't recall any meeting, then we get confirmation from the White House records that it happened. Then she doesn't recall any urgency placed on the information given in the meeting she doesn't remember.

Tenet now says that's not how it happened; that actually he was sure that Rice understood the severity of the threat:

http://www.upi.com/SecurityTerrorism/view.php?StoryID=20061003-035157-8019r

So I assume her next version will be that there was some urgency in the threat assessment, but not as much urgency in the meeting she doesn't remember as Tenet is saying there was? I mean, how convoluted can her excuses possibly get?

And this person is Secretary of State?!

[edjohn66]

Why shouldn't Condi lie to cover up her gross incompetence? Her boss did it for six years and won an eleciton in '04. If he can fool the voters of this nation with his shallow cover-ups, then why can't members of his administration do the exact same thing?

[clestes-2009]

She is no better fitted for her job that Rummy is his. They are both political friend of gw and giving them this high profile jobs is in payment for services rendered. Neither of them have the qualifications needed and they have both made a hash out of their respective jobs.

The only problem is: people are paying for their screwups in blood.