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American Morning
Talk with Michael Isikoff
Aired May 02, 2003 - 07:33 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.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Is the White House trying to keep the lid on a classified report concerning events leading up to 9/11? There's a "Newsweek" exclusive online right now. It details intelligence and law enforcement failures that preceded the attacks of 9/11. That report based on findings from a joint congressional investigation.
Here to talk about it, Michael Isikoff from "Newsweek" magazine in D.C.
Michael, good morning to you.
MICHAEL ISIKOFF, "NEWSWEEK": Good morning.
HEMMER: It's good to have you back here on AMERICAN MORNING.
What's to hide in this report that would scare the White House?
ISIKOFF: Well, there's a lot of material in it that was the result of this 10 month investigation by the joint intelligence committees. It covers a lot on the pre-9/11 intelligence warnings given to the White House and distributed by the intelligence community in the spring and summer of 2001 that an attack against U.S. interests might be imminent. It covers a lot of other material relating to the intelligence failures, what was known by the CIA and the FBI, what was acted on, what wasn't acted on and...
HEMMER: But, Michael, there are always reports out there about terrorism targets here in the U.S. We've known about this for years. What's new in this that may or may not have led the White House to know the attacks of 9/11 were coming?
ISIKOFF: Well, it is a classified report. If you recall, Bill, there were extensive hearings before the joint intelligence committees -- some were public, some were in closed session -- that dealt with the specific briefings that were given to the National Security Council and the president in the summer of 2001.
While the substance of those briefings, some material about the substance of those briefings has been disclosed, who got them, what actions were taken has remained classified. In fact, the intelligence communities have classified that material. They've also classified a lot of other material relating to the investigations, including possible ties or documented ties of, from Saudi Arabia and the involvement of Saudi officials in, and their relationships to various people who had relationships with the hijackers and a lot of other material that we've simply never seen. HEMMER: And, Michael...
ISIKOFF: The fact is it's an 800 page report. It's been prepared...
HEMMER: Understood.
ISIKOFF: Members of Congress had hoped to release this by now and the intelligence community has kept it classified.
HEMMER: Just looking at this report and trying to weed my way through it last night and again today, I'm trying to find in here somewhere, is there a smoking gun? Because we know a lot of this information had been public at one time...
ISIKOFF: No, I don't...
HEMMER: ... and then it had been pulled back...
ISIKOFF: I don't think there's any single...
HEMMER: Is there?
ISIKOFF: I don't think there's any single smoking gun, but, you know, there is a great irony here, which is the president and the administration has essentially made the events of September 11 the centerpiece of governance right now and certainly it plans to make it the centerpiece of its political campaign. And yet a lot of significant information about what the government knows about the events of September 11 has never been publicly released. And here is a congressional report that is the only report that's been done on these issues and it has not, and, in fact, there is a rather significant battle going on about getting it released to the public.
HEMMER: Just about 20 seconds left. Our screen says 9/11 Secrets, asking the question whether or not there are any. Can we say at this point if there are, based on what we know about the report?
ISIKOFF: Of course there are. There's a lot. And, in fact, there's a lot even the government still doesn't know. But there is an entire report on these issues and it is still stamped "secret," "classified."
HEMMER: Michael Isikoff, "Newsweek" magazine.
Thanks, Michael.
Have a good weekend.
ISIKOFF: Sure.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired May 2, 2003 - 07:33 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Is the White House trying to keep the lid on a classified report concerning events leading up to 9/11? There's a "Newsweek" exclusive online right now. It details intelligence and law enforcement failures that preceded the attacks of 9/11. That report based on findings from a joint congressional investigation.
Here to talk about it, Michael Isikoff from "Newsweek" magazine in D.C.
Michael, good morning to you.
MICHAEL ISIKOFF, "NEWSWEEK": Good morning.
HEMMER: It's good to have you back here on AMERICAN MORNING.
What's to hide in this report that would scare the White House?
ISIKOFF: Well, there's a lot of material in it that was the result of this 10 month investigation by the joint intelligence committees. It covers a lot on the pre-9/11 intelligence warnings given to the White House and distributed by the intelligence community in the spring and summer of 2001 that an attack against U.S. interests might be imminent. It covers a lot of other material relating to the intelligence failures, what was known by the CIA and the FBI, what was acted on, what wasn't acted on and...
HEMMER: But, Michael, there are always reports out there about terrorism targets here in the U.S. We've known about this for years. What's new in this that may or may not have led the White House to know the attacks of 9/11 were coming?
ISIKOFF: Well, it is a classified report. If you recall, Bill, there were extensive hearings before the joint intelligence committees -- some were public, some were in closed session -- that dealt with the specific briefings that were given to the National Security Council and the president in the summer of 2001.
While the substance of those briefings, some material about the substance of those briefings has been disclosed, who got them, what actions were taken has remained classified. In fact, the intelligence communities have classified that material. They've also classified a lot of other material relating to the investigations, including possible ties or documented ties of, from Saudi Arabia and the involvement of Saudi officials in, and their relationships to various people who had relationships with the hijackers and a lot of other material that we've simply never seen. HEMMER: And, Michael...
ISIKOFF: The fact is it's an 800 page report. It's been prepared...
HEMMER: Understood.
ISIKOFF: Members of Congress had hoped to release this by now and the intelligence community has kept it classified.
HEMMER: Just looking at this report and trying to weed my way through it last night and again today, I'm trying to find in here somewhere, is there a smoking gun? Because we know a lot of this information had been public at one time...
ISIKOFF: No, I don't...
HEMMER: ... and then it had been pulled back...
ISIKOFF: I don't think there's any single...
HEMMER: Is there?
ISIKOFF: I don't think there's any single smoking gun, but, you know, there is a great irony here, which is the president and the administration has essentially made the events of September 11 the centerpiece of governance right now and certainly it plans to make it the centerpiece of its political campaign. And yet a lot of significant information about what the government knows about the events of September 11 has never been publicly released. And here is a congressional report that is the only report that's been done on these issues and it has not, and, in fact, there is a rather significant battle going on about getting it released to the public.
HEMMER: Just about 20 seconds left. Our screen says 9/11 Secrets, asking the question whether or not there are any. Can we say at this point if there are, based on what we know about the report?
ISIKOFF: Of course there are. There's a lot. And, in fact, there's a lot even the government still doesn't know. But there is an entire report on these issues and it is still stamped "secret," "classified."
HEMMER: Michael Isikoff, "Newsweek" magazine.
Thanks, Michael.
Have a good weekend.
ISIKOFF: Sure.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
