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Key 9/11 Commission Staffer Held Secret Meetings With Rove, Scaled Back Criticisms of White House»

zelikowA forthcoming book by NYT reporter Philip Shenon — “The Commission: The Uncensored History of the 9/11 Investigation” — asserts that former 9/11 Commission executive director Philip Zelikow interfered with the 9/11 report.

According to the book, Zelikow had failed to inform the commission at the time he was hired that he was instrumental in helping Condoleezza Rice set up Bush’s National Security Council in 2001. Some panel staffers believe Zelikow stopped them from submitting a report depicting Rice’s performance prior to 9/11 as “amount[ing] to incompetence.”

Relying on the accounts of Max Holland, an author and blogger who has obtained a copy of the forthcoming book, ABC reports that Zelikow was holding private discussions with White House political adviser Karl Rove during the course of the 9/11 investigation:

In his book, Shenon also says that while working for the panel, Zelikow appears to have had private conversations with former White House political director Karl Rove, despite a ban on such communication, according to Holland. Shenon reports that Zelikow later ordered his assistant to stop keeping a log of his calls, although the commission’s general counsel overruled him, Holland wrote.

Zelikow flatly denied discussing the commission’s work with Rove. “I never discussed the 9/11 Commission with him, not at all. Period.”

After completing his work with the 9/11 Commission, Zelikow was hired by Condoleezza Rice as Counselor at the State Department. He resigned from that position in late 2006. In 1995, Rice and Zelikow co-authored a book entitled, “Germany Unified and Europe Transformed.”

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54 Responses to “Key 9/11 Commission Staffer Held Secret Meetings With Rove, Scaled Back Criticisms of White House”

  1. GSD Says:

    Zelikow is a scumbag who was in the pocket of Project for a New American Century.

    He even signed the letter in 1998.

    Is it any surprise that he’s a lying scumbag with morals or decency?

    I mean name one person involved with the Bush Whitehouse who has an ounce of integrity, not including the kitchen staff.

    -GSD


  2. Badmoodman Says:

    Lemme guess, Hamilton and Kean will be shocked, SHOCKED by this news.


  3. GSD Says:

    Remember when America was led by a guiding light that was a beacon on a hill?

    Now that guiding light is an electrode in a dungeon.

    -GSD


  4. Doc Rock Says:

    Another piece of the largest, on-going criminal conspiracy in US history!


  5. Nevar Says:

    “…one person involved with the Bush Whitehouse who has an ounce of integrity…”

    Is that what Gannon called it, “integrity”?


  6. JimRMTZ Says:

    Lemme guess, Hamilton and Kean will be shocked, SHOCKED by this news.

    …and Chuck Schumer will be very disappointed. And Condi’s a moron and Rove is a thug and the 9/11 Report was a Broderist whitewash. Next you’ll be telling me that there’s gambling at Rick’s American Café.

    Seriously, between the PDB and the CIA agent who followed up on it and was told “Okay, you’ve covered your ass” by the Great Weed Puller, is there any serious doubt that these people had sufficient warning and let it slip by ’cause Terr’rism had Clinton Cooties and they were gonna build Uncle Ronnie’s Magical Force Field, and weren’t interested in anything that didn’t help that political goal?


  7. Cats r Flyfishn Says:

    Wouldn’t expect anything else from the traitors in this administration.


  8. Starve-A-Bush_Feed-A-Beaver Says:

    According to an entry in Wikipedia, Zelikow authored an article in 1998 describing a “Pearl Harbor” type of event that might occur in the United States that would result in the suspension of civil liberties and the increased surveillance of citizens. It seemed to describe exactly what has come to pass under the Bush Administration.

    “In the November-December 1998 issue of Foreign Affairs, he co-authored an article Catastrophic Terrorism, with Ashton B. Carter, and John M. Deutch, in which they speculated that if the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center had succeeded, “the resulting horror and chaos would have exceeded our ability to describe it. Such an act of catastrophic terrorism would be a watershed event in American history. It could involve loss of life and property unprecedented in peacetime and undermine America’s fundamental sense of security, as did the Soviet atomic bomb test in 1949. Like Pearl Harbor, the event would divide our past and future into a before and after. The United States might respond with draconian measures scaling back civil liberties, allowing wider surveillance of citizens, detention of suspects and use of deadly force. More violence could follow, either future terrorist attacks or U.S. counterattacks. Belatedly, Americans would judge their leaders negligent for not addressing terrorism more urgently.”


  9. MapleStreet Says:

    Why are you librals getting some upset over a little conflict of interest between friends ?

    NARF!


  10. stewarjt Says:

    Incompetent is a perfect description of rice.

    I would love to know the division of labor of zelikow and rice’s book. “Okay, condi, I’ll do the research and the writing. You can spell check.”


  11. tarazan Says:

    Zelikow said that the war in Iraq was for Israel…

    http://ipsnews.net/interna.asp?idnews=23083


  12. abarts Says:

    this calls for…
    “who could have imagined…”
    and
    “I don’t recall”


  13. RUCerious Says:

    Frog march this little worm, maybe to Gitmo..?


  14. Buckie Boy Says:

    Well of course it was a coverup, otherwise the MSM would have reported about the crimes being committed by the White Hou…..oh, wait I forgot, the MSM is also covering up their crimes.

    Carry on, nothing to see here.

    Buck Fush


  15. tomazulob Says:

    This book is one of many, many, many past, present, and future chronicles of the damage this adminstration has done to this country. They have given fodder to literally hundreds of future analyses of the worst administration ever. What I hope will come out of this is a desire of those in this country who care what happens to us to do two things: 1) Demand that these members go to jail for their severe crimes (I don’t care if it takes 5-25 years–just do it–It’s not vengeance, it’s justice), and 2) Never, ever vote in a Republican administration again until this country is back on track (50 years perhaps).


  16. FRANKCORNBREAD Says:

    So cozy, isn’t it. This guy and his relationship with the Neo-Con movement have been in the public record since 1998 and NOW we’re gonna talk about it. Let’s get REALLY upset. The horse is not only out of the barn, he’s out of sight. Go back to your day to day.
    BTW, I’m not trolling just really disgusted tonight.

    FC

    Be Good in Your Lifetime


  17. pinhut Says:

    How many Jewish neocon fingerprints need to be on 9/11 and the Iraq War before it stops being ‘anti-semitism’ and it is seen for what it is - Israeli control of the White House and the US military.


  18. dim wit Says:

    … a report depicting Rice’s performance prior to 9/11 as “amount[ing] to incompetence.”

    - - - -

    Of course rice was incompetent. Like everyone else in this administration, incompetence is rewarded with a job promotion.


  19. bilbobaggins Says:

    Zelikow flatly denied discussing the commission’s work with Rove. “I never discussed the 9/11 Commission with him, not at all. Period.”

    And after he issued that statement his nose grew two feet!


  20. Nevar Says:

    … a report depicting Rice’s performance prior to 9/11 as “amount[ing] to incompetence.”

    After her tenure with Exxon, all she understood was plunder, grab, invade, deny, kiss ass and look exotic.

    She failed utterly in her job as National Security Adviser, a la 9/11.
    (That is, unless she knew about it, but that’s another story…..)

    And as Secretary of State, she has no diplomatic skills, and is likewise an abject loser.
    All she has are the same aforementioned skills, which just don’t work in the real world of humanity.


  21. katy Says:

    “… Belatedly, Americans would judge their leaders negligent for not addressing terrorism more urgently.”

    Comment by Starve-A-Bush_Feed-A-Beaver @ 7:13 pm

    holy crap…


  22. OxyCon Says:

    Come on. We all knew the Bushies would have at least one mole on the 911 Commission. Remember, they didn’t even want to have a 911 Commission.


  23. ecthompson Says:

    9-11 commission rigged from the inside. No Duh.


  24. LTJ Says:

    How surprising! Conda-Liar Rice needed help covering-up her multiple acts of dishonesty, incompetence and mis-placed loyalty.
    Too bad the “Jersey Girls” unnerved big, bad Henri Kissinger by asking a few direct questions (the kind of queries that the American media is apparently afraid to pose to the powerful).
    Zelikow didn’t even appear on stage until Henri K. ran for the hills rather than talk about his rich Saudi clients named Bin Laden.
    Maybe Zelikow can be the Allen Dulles of the 9/11 commission. I would have said the Arlen Specter, but since the Warren Comm days Specter has developed something of an independent streak. He really gives Republican witnesses hell on the Senate Judiciary Cmte, before finally giving in to pressure (in most cases).


  25. Guido OBGYN Lover Says:

    Yeah lol they:

    1. Create theor own reality that we will learn from.

    2. Have THE math~

    lol


  26. Arn Gunnutes Says:

    Come on. We all knew the Bushies would have at least one mole on the 911 Commission. Remember, they didn’t even want to have a 911 Commission.

    Comment by OxyCon — January 30, 2008 @ 8:19 pm

    And, ALWAYS remember to throw in their face that

    Bush and Cheney REFUSED TO TESTIFY UNDER OATH to the Commission; i.e. to TELL THE TRUTH to the American public about their

    involvement with 9/11, the Bin Ladens and the Saudis, who STILL ARE the FINANCIERS OF AL QUEDA.

    Bush and Cheney are TRAITORS, and every day, a little more drips out.

    Arrest them and SEND THEM TO GITMO as ENEMY COMBATANTS.

    NO TRIAL, just hold them for 10 or 20 years.


  27. williamf Says:

    No surprises with this bunch anymore.


  28. Keith Says:

    Wikipedia:

    Section V of PNAC’s Rebuilding America’s Defenses, entitled “Creating Tomorrow’s Dominant Force”, includes the sentence: “Further, the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event––like a new Pearl Harbor”

    ….”On November 16, 1998, William Kristol, co-founder of the PNAC and editor of The Weekly Standard, called again for (Iraqi) regime change in an editorial in his online magazine.”


  29. atheo Says:

    Phillip D Zelikow’s comments on the preemptive invasion of Iraq as a war for Israel:

    “Zelikow made his statements about “the unstated threat” during his tenure on a highly knowledgeable and well-connected body known as the President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board, which reports directly to the president.

    He served on the board between 2001 and 2003.

    “Why would Iraq attack America or use nuclear weapons against us? I’ll tell you what I think the real threat (is) and actually has been since 1990 — it’s the threat against Israel,” Zelikow told a crowd at the University of Virginia on Sep. 10, 2002, speaking on a panel of foreign policy experts assessing the impact of 9/11 and the future of the war on the al-Qaeda terrorist organisation.

    “And this is the threat that dare not speak its name, because the Europeans don’t care deeply about that threat, I will tell you frankly. And the American government doesn’t want to lean too hard on it rhetorically, because it is not a popular sell,” said Zelikow.

    Phillip D. Zelikow’s doctoral thesis was “Myth Making and the JFK Assassination”.

    Of course he was indespensible heading up the 9/11 commision.


  30. alpuz3 Says:

    From Wikipedia

    While at Harvard he worked with Ernest May and Richard Neustadt on the use, and misuse, of history in policymaking. They observed, as Zelikow noted in his own words, that “contemporary” history is “defined functionally by those critical people and events that go into forming the public’s presumptions about its immediate past. The idea of ‘public presumption’,” he explained, “is akin to William McNeill’s notion of ‘public myth’ but without the negative implication sometimes invoked by the word ‘myth.’ Such presumptions are beliefs (1) thought to be true (although not necessarily known to be true with certainty), and (2) shared in common within the relevant political community.”[1]”


  31. johndoraemi Says:

    The 9/11 “incompetence” theory is a limited hangout.

    The “incompetence” in question is simply an excuse for deliberate, knowing treason. This should be quite obvious by now, but corporate media won’t allow people to think such things.

    So, there is no treason in America. There is no conspiracy in the US.

    It’s a big lie.

    They’ve been importing drugs though CIA subsidiaries for 40 years. That’s conspiracy. And, considering they themselves declared a “Drug War” it technically rises to the level of treason.

    Anyone who tells you that there’s no such thing as government conspiracies, and that you’d have to be a “nut” to believe it, is lying to your face.

    Conspiracy is an Absolute Fact

    70 Disturbing Facts About 9/11

    Sibel Edmonds Blows Open the Cover Up


  32. johndoraemi Says:

    PS–

    MAX HOLLAND works for the CIA, and edits their website. He has concocted diverstions about the JFK murder for decades. Holland produces disinformation, attempting to link JFKs murder to the KGB, of all things. The reality is a bit closer to home. Holland also edits The Nation rag, and I don’t trust anything he has to offer, about anything.


  33. The Young Dude Says:

    How exactly is this breaking news? 9/11 truthers have been reporting about Zelikow’s conflicts of interest for years now, and only now one progressive blog has finally put 2 and 2 together. Okay.
    So that might explain why so many witnesses, like Willie Rodriguez, and first responder FDNY reported hearing expolsions and seeing damage of explosions in the towers in lobby and basement level floors yet had their testimony mysteriously omitted from the 9/11 Commission’s report. So now all we have to figure out is, since we assume the terrorists were in the planes, who planted the bombs that necessary to take all 3, yes THREE, of those buildings down in the fashion that they completely and totally collapsed at essentially freefall speed.


  34. Brother Sam Says:

    What! I can’t believe this! Next thing we know buildings will magically explode into dust and airplanes will vaporize!

    But don’t worry, “The Great White Hope” or “Insane John McCain” will get to the bottom of the magic. Bill Clinton’s wife did it!

    It’s the Corporatism, stupid.

    Ralph Nader ‘08, ‘12, ‘16, ‘20, ‘24…until they understand we’re not going back.


  35. sacopenapa Says:

    9/11 was an inside job! made in USA


  36. sacopenapa Says:

    NOW THAT IS CLEAR TO EVERYONE THAT THE 9/11 OMISSION COMISSION WAS NOT AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION, THE TIME FOR AN INDEPENDENT INVESTIGATION IS OVERDUE!!!! TWO PLANES, THREE TOWERS DOWN IN LESS THAN 10 SECONDS. STEEL AND CONCRETE ONLY HAPPENS TO COME DOWN IN THIS SPEED BY CONTROLLED DEMOLITION. PLUS, I DARE THE PENTAGON TO SHOW TO EVERYBODY THE FOOTAGE OF A 757 HITTING ITS BUILDING! I DARE THEM TO DO SO! THEY DON’T, BECAUSE IT WAS NOT A BOING 757 THAT HIT THE PENTAGON, IT WAS A MILITARY MISSIL!


  37. Jackie Morgan Says:

    Is anybody asking the candidates for president whether they will convene a real 9/11 Commission? One that isn’t hampered at the start, to only report out that which they can all agree upon?

    We’re not going to get beyond “all war, all the time” until we go back to the beginning of this nightmare and learn the truth of what really happened.


  38. Jackie Morgan Says:

    I don’t know about you, but I’d like to hear from the Jersey Girls, the 9/11 widows, particularly Kristin Breitweiser. I’d like to know who they are endorsing for president, if anyone.


  39. pete Says:

    Off topic:

    Here’s a great source of “anti-troll” arguments.

    http://www.rationalrevolution.net/


  40. ucsbclassics53 Says:

    The Democrats should just pass a law granting immunity to Republicans only and making them above the law. It would at least be more honest than the kabuki theater farce they’re playing…


  41. alphainfinityomega Says:

    A∞Ω


  42. TheRadicalRightisRadicallyWrong Says:

    this calls for…
    “who could have imagined…”
    and
    “I don’t recall”

    Comment by abarts — January 30, 2008 @ 7:24 pm

    No, what this calls for is IMPEACHMENT!

    Seriously, I want my country back.

    It seems like every day another example of how this administration broke the law comes to light and nothing is done about it.

    Now we have Specter telling Mukasey that this administration broke the law and he can only respond that , “well I don’t think they are any more.”

    Now this example of complete and utter colusion to cover up…

    I’m mad as hell & tired of writting and calling congress…

    Will it ever be made right again?


  43. AJ Fan Says:

    Zelicow’s specialty is creating false national mythologies (narratives). As hard is it may be for many of you to accept, the events of September 11, 2001 were orchestrated by western intelligence agencies (CIA/NSA/DIA/Mossad/MI6/ISI) as domestic “shock and awe” to facilitate the establishment of 14 permanent military bases in Iraq.

    I post audio clips from “underground radio” at my web page. There is a recent interview of National Science Award Winner Lynn Margulis (Carl Sagan’s wife) where she tells how she discovered that the official conspiracy theory was a complete fraud.

    There is also a video of the Japanese Congress congress debating the facts of 9/11 along with an article about FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds who has exposed the sale of our most sensitive military secrets by members of our own state department.


  44. daytripper Says:

    in terms of conflict of interest, im pretty sure he was involved with the bush transition team in 2000.

    needs confirmed. anyone?

    as for state level false flag terror, you dont need speculation to demonstrate it falls well within the realms of possibility. read NATOs secret armies by Daniel Ganser. State sanctioned terrorism has been in the wests ideological toolkit since WW2. FACT !


  45. robertsgt40 Says:

    All roads lead to Israel. This is just another dual loyalist in the food chain that is subverting our nation’s best interests. Looks like this book involves a lot of research. All he has to do is watch the buildings implode(3)


  46. ct Says:

    and then there are all the documents sandy burgler stole from the national archives.

    saving bubba from another disgrace


  47. daytripper Says:

    its not about bush or clinton.

    this sort of work is state level and doesnt necessarily have to be connected to governments. infact as Operation Gladio demonstrates, state terrorism can occur with little or no government involvement and remain outside government knowledge for decades.


  48. nwmuse Says:

    Biggest “DUH!” ever..


  49. gandhi Says:

    THIS IS THE GUY WHO SMOTHERED ALL REFERENCES TO RICE’S JUNE 2002 MEETING WITH TENET!!!!

    Folks on the 9/11 Comission expressing shock - shock! - that they were not told of the July 10, 2001 meeting between CIA leader George Tenet, Condi Rice, Richard Clarke, Steven Hadley, former CIA counter-terrorism chief Cofer Black and another CIA officer whose identity remains protected.

    But then three former senior CIA officials said that is not true:

    Former CIA Director George Tenet presented the briefing to commission member Richard Ben Veniste and executive director Philip Zelikow in secret testimony at CIA headquarters on Jan. 28, 2004, said three former senior agency officials.

    Tenet raised the matter himself, displayed slides from a Power Point presentation that he and other officials had given to then-national security adviser Condoleezza Rice on July 10, 2001, and offered to testify on the matter in public if the commission asked him to, they said.

    Despite this, the 9/11 panel never asked for additional information, and never mentioned the briefing in their report. So why did Ben Veniste and Zelikow with-hold the information from their fellow members?

    The July 10, 2001 meeting between Rice, Tenet and Cofer Black was first reported by Time magazine in August 2002. The magazine said Tenet’s message was that he ” couldn’t rule out a domestic attack but thought it more likely that al-Qaeda would strike overseas.”

    Cofer Black, Tenet’s former deputy, became an executive with private security contractor Blackwater.

    Five questions for Condi:

    Question 1: Why do you continue to deny that an “emergency meeting” took place on July 10th 2001 between yourself, CIA Director George Tenet and Director of the C.I.A. Counterterrorist Center Coffer Black?

    Question 2: How can you continue to claim not to have been warned of a possible attack in the United States in light of what we now know about the July 10th meeting?

    Question 3: Given the evidence presented in the July 10th the meeting, why were no drastic and immediate new actions taken to protect the American people?

    Question 4: How is it possible that the 9/11 Commission’s Report failed to mention the warnings of the July 10th meeting, given George Tenet’s testimony on the subject, witnessed by the Commission’s Executive Director Philip Zelikow, who now serves as one of your closest advisors?

    Question 5: Why haven’t you resigned yet?


  50. gandhi Says:

    Question: WHO PUT ZELIKOW IN CHARGE OF THE 911 COMMISSION ANYWAY?

    Answer: Bush and Cheney.


  51. ROBinDALLAS Says:

    If they reopen the investigation and Zelikow is subpoenaed, chances are good that he will never make it to the courtroom. He doesn’t do well when pressed on the subject of 911 being an inside job. They will kill him.

    Have a nice day Philip.


  52. Mikester Says:

    @ #5 Nevar: Touché!

    @ everyone else: so what are we going to do about it?

    Discuss…….


  53. garlic Says:

    I hope you have all read what Wikipedia wrote about Philip Zelikow - before they changed it in June 2006…

    http://investigate911.se/ docs/ Philip_D_Zelikow_Wikipedia_before_altering.html


  54. harpert55 Says:

    I wouldn’t be surprised Zelikow had something to do with what I put together last year:

    9/11 Commission Report Cover-up of Norman Mineta’s Sworn Testimony on May 23, 2003
    http://www.opednews.com/ maxwrite/ diarypage.php?did=4831

    Here’s David R. Griffin’s recent take on the same subject:

    9/11 Contradictions: When Did Cheney Enter the Underground Bunker?http://www.agoracosmopolitan.com/home/Frontpage/2008/01/22/02147.html

    If what’s being said about Zelikow’s is true, the integrity of the 9/11 Commission Report is in question…


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