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CNN Live At Daybreak
Congressional Hearings Plan to Focus on Reports Which Mention Large Number of Arab Students Taking Flight Lessons
Aired May 16, 2002 - 06:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: Congressional intelligence panels plan hearings into government preparedness prior to the September attacks, but lawmakers say they are not looking for someone to blame.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SEN. GEORGE ALLEN (R), VIRGINIA: The administration did everything they could with that information. I think what we should not do here, and I think you have been reporting this very responsibly, is start trying to blame Americans. Our FBI agents, our CIA, whether it's overseas or FBI here and law enforcement, did they best they could with the information they did and their systems. In fact, the fact that Moussaoui was arrested showed that.
JUDY WOODRUFF, CNN ANCHOR: But when you put together the briefings the president was receiving on the one hand; on the other hand, what FBI agents were finding out, the arrest of Moussaoui, it's so easy to look back. We do have 20/20 hindsight.
ALLEN: Sure.
WOODRUFF: But is it legitimate at least to ask questions about whether more could have been done.
ALLEN: Of course. I think as we go forward, we are asking questions, and we are also looking at ways to make it better. One of the things we need to do is adopt and utilize technology that is used in the enterprise systems to manage this data, to coalesce this data, to allow interoperability between local and state and federal law enforcement agencies, from Custom, from the FAA.
So that when somebody is on a student visa, and they don't know where they are but all of a sudden they are arrested for something in Florida or they are taking a course in flying or anything untoward, that information is flagged. And it's not only a specific agent, but also supervisors, and technology can help us manage the literally thousands of bits of information that are suspicious.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
COSTELLO: The upcoming congressional hearings plan to focus on memos and reports, and they include the FBI internal memo from Phoenix, which mentioned a large number of Arab students taking flight lessons and the students' possible connection to Osama bin Laden.
Now, with more on that memo, and how it is affecting change at the FBI, we turn to CNN's Skip Loescher who is in Washington.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
SKIP LOESCHER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): FBI Director Robert Mueller is creating a new super squad based in Washington to coordinate all FBI terrorism investigations at home and abroad. His action follows the disclosure that a memo written by an FBI agent in Arizona last July was apparently ignored. It warned that a large number of Middle East men were attending flight school in the U.S.
Attorney General John Ashcroft says the government can do a lot better than it has in the past.
JOHN ASHCROFT, ATTORNEY GENERAL: Government simply can't offer the one thing that victims wish for more than anything else, and that's to return people to the way of life before violence intruded.
LOESCHER: But if Congress concurs, hundreds of additional agents and analysts will be hired to work for the new Office of Intelligence. House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt:
REP. RICHARD GEPHARDT (D), MINORITY LEADER: A lot of terror cells have been torn up, but they are still out there, and we've got to continue on.
LOESCHER: Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott agrees, and thinks centralizing terrorism investigations is a good idea.
SEN. TRENT LOTT (R), MINORITY LEADER: That idea that you have this super unit here in Washington to review all of the information that's coming in makes sense to me.
LOESCHER: Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Bob Graham says the key to defeating terrorism is not just to be on the defensive in this country.
SEN. BOB GRAHAM (D), INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE: But on the offense, taking out the capability to train, recruit and place operatives.
LOESCHER (on camera): But some agents in charge of FBI field offices are reportedly concerned that Mueller's plan will lessen the emphasis on domestic crime fighting in order to increase the effort to fight international terrorism.
In Washington, I am Skip Loescher.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
COSTELLO: And Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Bob Graham says the U.S. missed clues prior to September 11.
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