President Bush and former President Bill Clinton could be forced to explain what they knew about Osama bin Laden's terror network before Sept. 11, 2001 if a member of the commission investigating the terror attacks gets his way.

John Lehman, who was secretary of the Navy under Ronald Reagan, said he'd like to have both men explain what they knew about al Qaeda and what, if anything, they did to try to prevent its attacks.

"I think it is very much in the country's interest - and in both President Clinton's and President Bush's interest to meet directly with the commissioners," Lehman told Time magazine.

Quizzing Them on 9/11

By TIMOTHY J. BURGER AND MATTHEW COOPER

TIME

Sunday, Jul. 06, 2003

Will President Bush be summoned before the independent commission investigating 9/11? It now appears very likely. John Lehman, Ronald Reagan's Navy Secretary and one of five Republicans on the 10-member panel, told TIME that he wants both President Bush and former President Clinton to meet with the commission and discuss matters that could include what their Administrations knew about the al-Qaeda terrorist plots—and what was done to combat them—before the 9/11 attacks.

With the commission evenly split between Republicans and Democrats, Lehman's position makes it all but certain that a majority will support a request to interview Bush and Clinton. "I don't think any commission should ever formally call a President to testify," Lehman said, "but I think it is very much in the country's interest—and in both President Clinton's and President Bush's interest—to meet directly with the commissioners." Responded White House press secretary Ari Fleischer: "The White House has been and will continue to cooperate with the commission."

PRO:

http://www.cnn.com/US/9604/18/anti.terror.bill/index.html
April 18, 1996 Congress on Thursday passed a compromise bill boosting the ability of law enforcement authorities to fight domestic terrorism . . . The measure, which the Senate passed overwhelmingly Wednesday evening, is a watered-down version of the White House's proposal. The Clinton administration has been critical of the bill, calling it too weak.


http://www.fas.org/irp/threat/p8_facta.htm
July 30, 1996 Paris -- A Fact Sheet from the July 30 ministerial meeting of the P-8 (the industrialized nations of the world plus Russia) notes that President Clinton for three years has led an international campaign to combat terrorism in concert with the P-8 as well as with allies in the Middle East and elsewhere . . . Following is the official text of the Fact Sheet.


http://www.kdka.com/now/story/0%2C1597%2C1747
March 22, 2000 Clinton is pushing General Musharraf to use his influence with Afghanistan's leaders—the Taliban—to bring Bin Laden to trial . . . Even if Musharraf could convince the Taliban to give Bin Laden up, there is an abundance of anger, frustration and weapons in the region, left over from the Afghan war, when thousands of extremists came together to bring a superpower to its knees . . . That militant network has built up in this region over two decades of conflict. The president believes America must get deeply involved in South Asia to crack the terrorist problem, a process Clinton continues throughout this week.

AGAINST:

Spring 1998:
www.tetrahedron.org/news/NR011112.html The OraVax firm had been likewise linked to shady backroom dealings with Clinton administration officials regarding government orders for a yet to be tested West Nile Virus vaccine. (ed: Also involved in this deal: Jerome Hauer, later responsible for the construction of the Bunker in Building 7 and John O' Neills job at the Twin Towers.)

All trademarks and copyrights on this page are owned by their respective companies.

printed from Bush and Clinton to Testify before 911Commission? on 2004-05-26 00:00:08