May 21, 2002 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — SENATE S4655 only going to quote four Members of their best,’’ Mr. Gephardt said. This is a po- As for Mrs. Clinton, investigative jour- Congress, one House Member and three litically prudent move on Mr. Gephardt’s nalist Steven Emerson notes that she and Senators. Although I could quote about part. Given the abysmal performance of the her husband ‘‘repeatedly wined and dined at Clinton administration in combatting ter- 10 of them, I think my point is made by the White House’’ members of the American rorism during the 1990s, it would be a huge Muslim Council (AMC), including these four. One Senator said: mistake for Democrats to attempt to gain Abdulrahman Alamoudi, an apologist for I am gravely concerned about the informa- political mileage by blaming September 11 Hamas, which has repeatedly denied it is a tion provided us just yesterday that the on President Bush. terrorist group. The AMC, Mr. Emerson adds, President received a warning in August Time and time again, the Clinton White provided talking points for Mrs. Clinton’s about the threat of hijackers by Osama bin House tried to avoid taking firm steps syndicated newspaper column and speeches Laden and his organization. It clearly raises against Osama bin Laden’s al Qaeda and and was even permitted to organize a recep- some very important questions that have to other terrorist groups that have targeted the tion for itself at the White House. In short, be asked and have to be answered. United States. As David Horowitz noted on the Democrats are in no position to smear Another Senator said: The Washington Times’ op-ed page yester- Mr. Bush on September 11 or terrorist in day, the Clinton administration did nothing general. We have learned something today that in response to al Qaeda’s February 1993 raises a number of serious questions. We bombing of the World Trade Center, in which f have learned that President Bush had been six persons were killed and nearly 1,000 informed last year before September 11 of a wounded. Moreover, President Clinton and ADJOURNMENT UNTIL 9:30 A.M. possible plot by those associated with Osama his aides sought to play down the fact that bin Laden to hijack a U.S. airline. the mastermind of the attack was Ramzi TOMORROW Another Senator: Youssef, an Iraqi intelligence agent. Jour- The PRESIDING OFFICER. Under I don’t know, again, what he knew and nalist Andrew Sullivan quotes Clinton aide the previous order, the Senate stands what the White House knew and when they George Stephanopoulos as saying that the adjourned until 9:30 a.m., Wednesday, knew it and what they did about it . . . Clinton administration ignored the implica- May 22, 2002. tions of the WTC attack because ‘‘it wasn’t . . . but if prior information had been Thereupon, the Senate, at 7:51 p.m., warnings were there . . . a successful bombing.’’ Nine months later in Somalia, Mohammed adjourned until Wednesday, May 22, Another Member on the floor said: Farah Aideed’s militiamen, who were trained 2002, at 9:30 a.m. Yet we have had the gnawing question: was by al Qaeda, killed 18 American soldiers and there something that could have been done dragged their bodies through the streets of f to prevent the attacks on September 11? Mogadishu. Mr. Clinton’s response was to I am very proud of the Senator occu- end the U.S.-led humanitarian mission in So- NOMINATIONS pying the chair now because he re- malia and send veteran diplomat Robert Executive nominations received by frained from trying to engage in this Oakley to negotiate surrender terms. In June 1996, 19 American servicemen were the Senate May 21, 2002: type of political activity. killed when al Qaeda joined forces with the DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE What do all four Members who made Iranian- and Syrian-backed Hezbollah to JAMES THOMAS ROBERTS, JR., OF GEORGIA, TO BE these statements on the floor of the bomb the Khobar Towers apartment complex UNITED STATES MARSHAL FOR THE SOUTHERN DIS- House and Senate have in common? in Saudi Arabia. The Saudis refused to co- TRICT OF GEORGIA FOR THE TERM OF FOUR YEARS, VICE JOHN W. CALDWELL, TERM EXPIRED. They are all four running for President operate with FBI agents sent to investigate JAMES ROBERT DOUGAN, OF MICHIGAN, TO BE UNITED of the United States. It is unconscion- the matter, so Washington just forgot about STATES MARSHAL FOR THE WESTERN DISTRICT OF MICHIGAN FOR THE TERM OF FOUR YEARS, VICE BAR- able that anyone would imply our God- it. Mr. Sullivan notes that in October, a former Clinton administration official told BARA C. JURKAS, TERM EXPIRED. fearing President, George W. Bush, DAVID SCOTT CARPENTER, OF NORTH DAKOTA, TO BE The Washington Post that, had Mr. Clinton UNITED STATES MARSHAL FOR THE DISTRICT OF NORTH might have known something about made a serious effort to rein in al Qaeda DAKOTA FOR THE TERM OF FOUR YEARS, VICE BRIAN C. this and not done everything he could BERG, TERM EXPIRED. then, ‘‘We probably would have never seen a JAMES MICHAEL WAHLRAB, OF OHIO, TO BE UNITED to prevent it. This is simply politics at September 11.’’ STATES MARSHAL FOR THE SOUTHERN DISTRICT OF its worst. In 1998, as Mr. Clinton was preparing to in- OHIO FOR THE TERM OF FOUR YEARS, VICE ROY ALLEN form the nation of his affair with Monica SMITH, TERM EXPIRED. EXHIBIT 1 Lewinsky, al Qaeda killed 224 persons in DEMAGOGUING SEPTEMBER 11 bombings of U.S. embassies in Kenya and f Just a few days ago, Democrats on Capitol Tanzania. So Mr. Clinton responded by firing Hill seemed quite eager to make political 75 missiles at suspected bin Laden training CONFIRMATIONS hay out of news reports suggesting that camps in Afghanistan (bin Laden escaped Executive nominations confirmed by President Bush might have known in ad- unharmed) and to mistakenly destroy a the Senate May 21, 2002: vance about the September 11 attacks. ‘‘nerve gas factory’’ in Khartoum which was Prominent Democrats like Sens. Tom actually making pharmaceutical products. IN THE COAST GUARD Daschle, Hillary Rodham Clinton and House Two years later, the United States did noth- THE FOLLOWING NAMED OFFICERS FOR APPOINTMENT Minority Leader Dick Gephardt have loudly ing of consequence in response to the bomb- IN THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD TO THE GRADE IN- DICATED UNDER TITLE 14, U.S.C., SECTION 271: demanded investigations into what the ad- ing of the USS Cole in Yemen, in which 17 ministration knew about the possibility that Americans died. ‘‘Clearly, not enough was To be rear admiral terrorists were preparing to attack the done’’ to combat terrorism during the Clin- REAR ADM. (LH) VIVIEN S. CREA United States. ton years, former Deputy Attorney General REAR ADM. (LH) ROBERT F. DUNCAN REAR ADM. (LH) KEVIN J. ELDRIDGE By Sunday, however, some of the harshest Jamie Gorelick acknowledged shortly after REAR ADM. (LH) THOMAS J. GILMOUR Democratic critics were clearly having sec- the September 11 attacks. Mrs. Gorelick REAR ADM. (LH) JEFFREY J. HATHAWAY ond thoughts about such a brazen attempt to added that even though President Clinton REAR ADM. (LH) CHARLES D. WURSTER use September 11 to score political points doubled the size of the FBI’s THE ABOVE NOMINATIONS WERE APPROVED SUBJECT against Mr. Bush. ‘‘I never, ever thought counterterrorism budget, the bureau was so TO THE NOMINEES’ COMMITMENT TO RESPOND TO RE- QUESTS TO APPEAR AND TESTIFY BEFORE ANY DULY that anybody, including the president, did slow to hire agents that the money was CONSTITUTED COMMITTEE OF THE SENATE. anything up to September 11 other than never used. COAST GUARD NOMINATION OF MIKEAL S. STAIER.

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