Was the 911 Investigation Stymied?
It's been more than three years since the 9/11 Commission issued its final report.
But did it complete the investigation? Did it fully answer the question: What really happened 6 years ago today?
According to the 911 commissioners themselves, the investigation into the events of 911 was severely inadequate. They state that there wasn’t enough time, funding or access to critical information and documents to truly make it a definitive investigation. 911 Commission co-chairman Lee Hamilton highlights the incredibly difficult task the Commission faced in getting cooperation and documents from the federal government.
“There were two federal agencies that received a subpoena and we did not issue subpoenas lightly as I have suggested. They went to the FAA and to NORAD. Our staff found that they had not been fully responsive to our document requests and when our staff visited they command center, for example, in Rome, NY of NORAD, they uncovered all the tapes from 911 that had not been provided to the Commission so it was a very frustrating experience for us.”
Another challenge that the Commission faced were the rules that the Administration placed on the Commissioners themselves. Former Nebraska Senator and 911 Commissioner Bob Kerrey explains.
“We did a good a job as we could under the circumstances of the Administration resisting at every turn the delivery of witnesses and documents. I mean, the regulatory friction that was imposed upon the 911 Commission to get documents was more than I’ve ever experienced. I had to go to 3 or 4 locations. My notes had to remain where they were. I couldn’t take them back home with me and I never got access, we got access in a limited way to the Presidential Daily Briefings. We never got face to face access to Khalid Sheik Mohammad or Ramsey Bin Al-Shieb or all others who were the ring leaders. We had to submit questions and the CIA then aksed them and delivered back the answers. So I would say, no. There was not enough time on tap, there was less cooperation than we needed and there was insufficient funding.
Former Indiana Congressman and Commissioner Tim Roemer agrees.
"There wasn't enough time. There wasn't enough money".
So how much money was spent initially? The Bush Administration authorized $3 million for the investigation of the greatest tragedy on American soil. In contrast, the Monica Lewinsky and Whitewater investigation of President Bill Clinton received an authorization of $64 million and the Challenger disaster investigation received $50 million. After the Commission and families fought for more funding, the White House allocated $15 million. The Commission spent $14 million and returned $1 million.
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