No More Mister Nice Blog has a comprehensive wrap-up (and refutation) of the attacks which are being heaped upon Jamie Gorelick of the 9-11 Commission, as a result of John Ashcroft's move to pin the blame on her for the "wall" that, it is claimed, prevented the FBI from being able to pursue leads which could have resulted in the capture of the terrorists who perpetrated 9-11. What's especially galling is the fact that Ashcroft's claims are clearly deceptive, especially when considered in light of a July, 2001 GAO report on the "wall" (Note: link is to a .PDF). Entitled "FBI Intelligence Investigations: Coordination Within Justice on Counterintelligence Criminal Matters Is Limited", the report includes the position of Ashcroft's Justice Department, as to whether the 1995 memo and procedures were being followed. That report also details the years of subsequent review of procedures to ensure that criminal investigations would not be compromised. The report appears to indicate that the "wall", instead of hindering intelligence gathering, was something which affected the criminal investigation side of the FBI (if at all).
In any event, the existence of that report, and the contents, shows the level of deception engaged in by Attorney General Ashcroft in trying to fix blame on Ms. Gorelick for an intelligence failure.
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