'3 months' in the life of Sibel Edmonds

Everyone seems to be lining up to hold an investigation into the destruction of the CIA/911 torture tapes.

The House Intel Committee will investigate.

The Senate Intelligence Committee too.

Don't forget the DoJ/CIA joint investigation.

At this rate, PETA probably has an investigation planned.

Here's a cautionary tale.

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In December 2001, former FBI translator Sibel Edmonds told her superiors bosses that one of her coworkers, Melek Can Dickerson, actually had worked for three organizations that were targets of ongoing FBI counter-intelligence operations, that Dickerson was rewriting the internal FBI procedures (with the assistance of her boss/lover) to ensure that Dickerson, and only Dickerson, would be tasked with 'translating' the intercepts pertaining to those organizations, and that Dickerson and her husband, a Lieutenant Colonel at the Pentagon, tried to recruit Sibel, promising her riches, to conduct espionage for the criminal network that was being targeted by the FBI.

Sibel reported this information up the chain - Thomas Frields, Dale Watson, Robert Mueller - and was fired because of it.

Then she went to Congress - specifically Pat Leahy and Chuck Grassley at the Senate Judiciary Committee.

In May 2002, in response to Congressional requests, the Justice Department's Inspector General (DOJ OIG) agreed to expedite its investigation.

The DOJ OIG told Sibel that the report would be completed and issued by mid Fall 2002.

In October 2002, the DOJ IG told Sibel, and the Senate, that the final report would be out by the end of 2002.

In late November, the DOJ IG told Sibel that the report would be available in February 2003.

In March 2003, the DOJ IG told Sibel that the report would be out by the end of May 2003.

In May 2003, the DOJ OIG told the Senate that the investigation was nearly completed, and that it would be issued at the latest by July 2003.

In July 2003, the DOJ IG told Sibel that the report was scheduled to be issued in Fall 2003.

In February 2004, Charles Grassley told Sibel Edmonds that the DOJ OIG report will be issued by March 2004.

In July 04, 22 months after the initial deadline (600% late), the DOJ OIG completed the the 100 page report. It was immediately classified.

In January 05, an unclassified 35 page summary, (most of it 'filler' material) of the report was released.

Three months after three months after three months after three months after three months after three months after three months after three months after three months after three months after three months after three months after three months after the invesitgation began, in December 2007, 35 months after the release of the report, 600 months after Sibel first demanded an investigation, 9 months after we launched a campaign to get Waxman to hold hearings, and 6 weeks since Sibel offered to 'tell all' in an appropriate forum... crickets.

I have some advice for those of you awaiting the results of 'investigations' into the CIA/torture/911 videos: a) don't hold your breath b) dont expect anything significant.

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Errata

In yesterday's post, "Sibel Edmonds Case & Destruction of Evidence," I said that despite the Obstruction of Justice in Sibel's case, we have no evidence "so far" that evidence has been withheld in the secret sessions. That is untrue. The FBI did indeed refuse to provide their own damn Inspector General with documents that the IG had requested. I regret the error. And I'm even grumpier about the fact.

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What can you do?

As I mentioned yesterday, we really need to get something done THIS WEEK. Olbermann still seems like our best bet. countdown@msnbc.com . Similarly, leave a comment on Jonathan Turley's new blog asking him to step up. He finds the whole thing "disturbing."

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xposted at Let Sibel Edmonds Speak

(Email me if you want to be added to my Sibel email list. Subject: 'Sibel email list')

Sibel Edmonds update (with videos!)

Former FBI translator Sibel Edmonds has offered to tell us everything she knows - regarding illegal weapons sales, money laundering, drug trafficking, nuclear black market, terrorism and the corruption of the US Govt - if one of the major broadcast networks will let her tell her story.

Not surprisingly, the silence from the corporate media is still deafening, but I've got some other tidbits for you while we wait. And wait. And wait.

First up, I've put together three new YouTube videos on Sibel's case.

The first is called "Sibel Edmonds, Greatest Hits." It's only 2.15 minutes long and I'd love for it to get onto some of YouTube's 'Most Popular' lists so that more people become aware of the case. If you are so inclined, please head over to YouTube and recommend it, and add a comment or two. (Of the three youtube videos, let's focus on this particular video (as per this recent TechCrunch article about helping a video get exposure)



Second video: "Keith Olbermann, Sibel Edmonds: Government Secrets & Crimes." In this video I splice some of Sibel's case in with Keith's recent segment with Jonathan Turley on the State Secrets Privilege. (C&L has the original clip)



Jonathan Turley appeared on the Rhandi Rhodes show the day after his appearance on Countdown, discussing the same issue:

Turley: What's really ironic about this is that those of us who practice in this area (National Security, State Secrets Privilege) continually face government attorneys who - there's no other way to put it - are lying!

They're saying things to the public that are not true, and the court knows it, and you know it, and the government lawyer knows it.

But (the government) also know that the privilege can be used to get them out of a jam. That's how it us being used today. It's not protecting any secrets... It's really to get the government out of the worst cases, where a conviction or a disclosure would cost a lot of people jobs.
[...]
The State Secrets Privilege was never intended to protect the government from it's own crimes!

This is precisely the situation in Sibel's case.

Brad Friedman of Bradblog recently gave a good 10 minute interview regarding Sibel's case on the Stephanie Miller Show. Brad describes how he spoke to Keith Olbermann's team at Countdown, repeatedly, and they kept promising to give him an answer about whether they'd have Sibel on Countdown, but for one reason or other, never actually did give him an answer.

In Brad's recent article about Sibel and Ellsberg, Ellsberg said:

"There will be phone calls going out to the media saying

'Don't even think of touching it, you will be prosecuted for violating national security,'"

It appears that Ellsberg is correct, but let's not give up on Countdown. They had a great segment on the State Secrets Privilege (the tool that has been used to gag Sibel), so perhaps they just need some more prodding.

countdown@msnbc.com

The third video is "Sibel Edmonds supporters speak out: Credible, Hero"
Here I have a bunch of people saying that Sibel is a) credible and b) a hero/heroine/patriot. Senator Grassley, Daniel Ellsberg, Phil Giraldi, James Bamford, a senator, a congresswoman and even Paul Newman call Sibel a hero (who am I to argue?)



The most chilling is the clip from FBI Special Agent John Cole saying that he 'fears for' Sibel, 'given how high up in the government this might go.' John Cole was a counter-intelligence agent working on the same cases that Sibel worked on (before he was promoted to be in charge of Pakistan, Afghanistan and India.) He should know what he is talking about, and he implies that he thinks that people at the highest levels of the US Govt might harm Sibel to cover up their crimes.

Yet, Sibel is nonetheless still determined to expose the criminals, for the sake of all of us, despite the extreme risk to life and liberty. She's one helluva brave woman.


In another news, for those interested, I gave a 20 min interview to the Peter B. Collins Show on November 19. Peter (who has been a great supporter of Sibel) even dared ask about the AIPAC connection. To listen to the interview, go here, and scroll to Nov 19, hour 2.

Also, I gave an hour-long interview to some right-winger amateur internet radio earlier in the week (MP3 here, interview starts at 36.45). The interviewer was using an internet satellite connection with a lag of a second or two which led to some awkward silences/moments, as well a complete breakdown for a couple of minutes at 1.09 - but it might be of interest to some of you.


As always, I’ll have more when I have more. Please contact Countdown and 60 Minutes and your favourite broadcast media and/or favourite senators and Reps.

(As an aside, over the last few weeks I've heard a bunch of different pronunciations of 'Sibel.' For those of you wondering, the first syllable is like 'bib' and the second is like 'tell.')

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cross-posted at Let Sibel Edmonds Speak

(Email me if you want to be added to my Sibel email list. Subject: 'Sibel email list')