George Bush appears to have had knowledge of Al Qaeda's intentions of attacking the U.S. prior to 9/11. A newly public memo reveals that the former president heard direct warnings about the impending danger.
In 2004 the then-POTUS called together a meeting in the Oval Office. The members of the 9/11 Commission spoke with the politician and his vice president, Dick Cheney. Specifically, they had questions about the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The dialogue of that room remained undisclosed for nearly 20 years. However, earlier this month, the 31-page “memorandum for the record” was declassified. The document shows commissioners trying to get the former president to acknowledge multiple recorded warnings of a possible Al Qaeda attack. However, after 31 pages of notes, Bush did little to respond to these inquiries.
His reasoning for evading the commission’s questions isn't clear. However, it would seem that he was attempting to underplay his level of knowledge about the situation. In other words, he wanted the commission, and the public, to believe that the U.S. government had no way of predicting Al Qaeda's domestic terrorist attack.
That said, this seems to be untrue. The CIA recalls telling the president multiple times that Al Qaeda was ready to strike on U.S. soil. One such CIA briefing was even given the title, “Bin Ladin Determined to Strike in US.”
However, Bush was unfazed by these warnings. He stuck to his claim that "the threat was overseas,” according to his CIA Director George Tenet.
What the newly disclosed memo makes clear is that the White House’s absence of urgency surrounding these warnings was not through a lack of trying. The records show that Tenet tried repeatedly to focus the president’s attention on Al Qaeda. Bush simply chose not to.
Why do you think George Bush was so undeniably unproductive regarding the terrorist warnings given to him by the CIA? Let us know down below in the comments. Finally, check back with HNHH for more world news updates.
[Via]
