[iwar] [fc:Questions.Of.Timing.Arise.With.New.Information]

From: Fred Cohen (fc@all.net)
Date: 2002-06-12 12:43:37

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From: Fred Cohen <fc@all.net>
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Date: Wed, 12 Jun 2002 12:43:37 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: [iwar] [fc:Questions.Of.Timing.Arise.With.New.Information]
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New York Times
June 12, 2002
Questions Of Timing Arise With New Information
By Neil A. Lewis
WASHINGTON, June 11 - The announcement by Attorney General John Ashcroft of
the arrest of a man accused of planning to explode a radioactive device was
a notable change from the administration's position that it would not
disclose information about the plots it disrupted.
Some Democrats and civil liberties advocates have questioned whether the
disclosure was timed to help counter criticism that the authorities,
especially those at the Federal Bureau of Investigation, had mishandled
signals that might have uncovered the Sept. 11 plot. They questioned whether
the disclosure about the case of Jose Padilla, also known as Abdullah
al-Muhajir, was part of a pattern in which the administration orchestrated
its announcements to help it politically.
"Every time it looks as though the administration is going to face
criticism, they emerge with a request for expanded powers or a new
announcement," said Laura W. Murphy, the director of the Washington office
of the American Civil Liberties Union. " What they seem to be doing is
timing things so they drown out really aggressive inquiry into their
performance."
Representative Henry Waxman, Democrat of California, said it was not
possible to know whether the announcement's timing was being manipulated.
"But," Mr. Waxman said, "it's hard to ignore that there seems to be a
pattern that makes it appear they are being quite political in their
calculations of the timing of these announcements."
Mr. Waxman also cited President Bush's announcement of a new Department of
Homeland Security on the same day the Senate Judiciary Committee was hearing
testimony from Coleen Rowley, the F.B.I. agent who accused the bureau of
bungling warnings before Sept. 11.
One administration official said the timing of the Monday announcement was
forced by circumstances beyond their control. The official, who spoke on the
condition of anonymity, said the arrest of Mr. Padilla was announced when he
was transferred to military authorities from civilian custody.
"If the information were to get out and not be in the full context," the
official said, "it would be confusing and a lot more alarming to the
public."
The official said that when the military took custody of Mr. Padilla,
Defense Department officials felt obliged to tell members of Congress on the
Armed Forces committees, and that meant that the information might soon
become public knowledge.
Other law enforcement officials said the timing of the announcement of the
Padilla arrest was driven by prosecutors' having to appear at a hearing in a
New York federal court to show that Mr. Padilla was indicted in order to
keep him in custody. The officials said they did not have enough evidence to
indict him. Other officials assert they chose not to indict Mr. Padilla
because they would have had to disclose investigative details they wanted to
keep secret.
The officials acknowledged, however, that once they decided to disclose the
arrest and the accusation that Mr. Padilla was seeking to manufacture a
radioactive, or dirty, bomb, they rushed to ensure that the first
announcement could be made by Mr. Ashcroft, even though he was in Moscow on
a previously scheduled trip.
Officials worked quickly to arrange a video hookup for Mr. Ashcroft, who
laced his announcement with praise for the F.B.I. and its ability to deter
terrorist attacks.
Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota, the majority leader, told reporters
today that he had questions about the timing of the Padilla announcement,
but said he was "confident that the administration would not politicize this
issue."
Andrew Kohut, director of the Pew Research Center, said that although he had
no knowledge of whether the administration orchestrated the timing of the
Padilla announcement, "it's certainly easy to be cynical about it."

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