ZAID

[esquirecomics]

Ill be sure to catch it Mark.What is the subject matter?

 

Able Danger. I will be responding to comments offered yesterda on CNN by Senator Slate Gorton, who was a 9/11 Commission member.

[krazykat-migration]

 

If you could somehow manage to incorporate the words 'Aluminum Siding' into the conversation...it would go along way to scoring 'points' with the board. See what you can do .. . .

 

KK

[nearmint]

Better yet, try to incorporate words and phrases like "spectre", "fate", and "more fun".

[action1kid]

Well done! Saw it and liked the context of what you said.

[Norrin_Radd]

For those who are interested, I am scheduled to appear on CNN's Lou Dobbs' program at approximately 6:40 pm EST to discuss Able Danger.

 

As always, this is subject to change.

 

That's 5:40 pm CST. I rushed to get home @ 6:35 pm only to find Anderson Cooper 360 on.

[Forbush-Man]

For those who are interested, I am scheduled to appear on CNN's Lou Dobbs' program at approximately 6:40 pm EST to discuss Able Danger.

 

As always, this is subject to change.

 

That's 5:40 pm CST. I rushed to get home @ 6:35 pm only to find Anderson Cooper 360 on.

 

[Norrin_Radd]

For those who are interested, I am scheduled to appear on CNN's Lou Dobbs' program at approximately 6:40 pm EST to discuss Able Danger.

 

As always, this is subject to change.

 

That's 5:40 pm CST. I rushed to get home @ 6:35 pm only to find Anderson Cooper 360 on.

 

 

you, Fuelboy!

[Forbush-Man]

For those who are interested, I am scheduled to appear on CNN's Lou Dobbs' program at approximately 6:40 pm EST to discuss Able Danger.

 

As always, this is subject to change.

 

That's 5:40 pm CST. I rushed to get home @ 6:35 pm only to find Anderson Cooper 360 on.

 

 

you, Fuelboy!

 

 

you, Norman Raid!

 

 

[esquirecomics]

For those who missed the broadcast (and for you late nighters, it repeats at 4 am EST):

 

LOU DOBBS TONIGHT

 

White House on Edge; CIA Leak Probe; Crime and Cover-Up; Able Danger Identified Mohamed Atta Before 9/11; Iraq War Veteran Paul Hackett Close To A Stunning Political Upset In Ohio This Summer; Canada Does Not Trust The U.S. Over Trade

 

Aired October 26, 2005 - 18:00 ET

 

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

 

 

DOBBS: Former 9/11 commissioner, former senator Slade Gorton joined me as a guest last night on this broadcast. We talked about the secret Pentagon project, Able Danger, that Congressman Curt Weldon claims identified Mohamed Atta a year before Atta's involvement in the September 11th attacks.

 

Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Shaffer was one of the top members of Able Danger. There was no mention of Able Danger or its warnings in the 9/11 Commission report. And Gorton discussed why, in his opinion, that was the case.

 

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

 

SLADE GORTON, FORMER 9/11 COMMISSIONER: We learned about Able Danger from Colonel Shaffer, who briefed four of our staffers on it in Kabul, Afghanistan, eight or nine months before our report came out. We immediately followed up on it. We got all of the Able Danger materials from the Department of Defense and they had nothing to do with Mohamed Atta or with any of the other conspirators.

 

So Able Danger was -- it got very interesting, it didn't identify Mohamed Atta a year beforehand. Unfortunately, no one identified Mohamed Atta beforehand.

 

Able Danger was simply irrelevant to our report and still is.

 

(END VIDEO CLIP)

 

DOBBS: Colonel Anthony Shaffer's attorney Mark Zaid joins me now.

 

Mark, thanks for being with us.

 

MARK ZAID, COL. ANTHONY SHAFFER'S ATTORNEY: Thank you.

 

DOBBS: What is your response to what Slade Gorton said there?

 

ZAID: Well, I think the first thing is that someone should remind Senator Gorton he's no longer talking on the Senate floor where he has immunity from defamation, because he's going perilously close to crossing the line with his attacks on Tony Shaffer who, by the way, is -- his statements are being supported by half a dozen or so more career civil servants within the military and the defense contracting community.

 

So it's just nonsense with his statements that, in fact, he's talking about things he just doesn't know, and that's the problem.

 

He doesn't know because the Defense Department never gave the 9/11 Commission the crucial information.

 

DOBBS: Never gave them the information.

 

Dr. Eileen Pricer (ph), Captain Scott Philpott, both DOD, and J.D. Smith (ph), a defense contractor -- did any of those individuals who support your client, Colonel Shaffer -- have any of them made any progress in communicating with the 9/11 Commission, with the government here?

 

ZAID: Well, Shaffer spoke to them in October of '03, as the senator said, and then they asked the DOD for more information. When the DOD -- what we didn't know at the time was that the Defense Department had destroyed millions and millions of the documents that the Able Danger team had come up with, so it's no surprise that the commission then didn't have the information.

 

Then, Scott Philpott goes to them in July of '04, only about a week or so before the committee's report was issued, so it was too late to do anything.

 

Where the senator fails to address is the issue that if the commission had gone back to Shaffer in January of '04, when he tried not once but twice to talk to them and said one sentence, "Mr. Shaffer, we're not finding any documents that support your claims. Can you point us in the direction we should go?"

 

If they had done that, Shaffer could have gone back to his office at DIA and obtained the info.

 

And J.D. Smith, my other client, actually had a copy of the chart -- the chart that everyone is looking for -- with Mohamed Atta's name and photo, had it hanging in his wall. That chart then was destroyed several months later, and the DIA destroyed Shaffer's documents.

 

DOBBS: I'm unclear about who would take a picture, a chart off a wall for an active DOD project without their permission or knowledge?

 

ZAID: No.

 

By this time, Able Danger actually had ceased by late 2000, early 2001.

 

And the copy of the chart that J.D. Smith had was a draft copy that he had just kept as a memento. And when he moved his offices, the paper the chart was on was so frail it just fell apart and was destroyed. That didn't happen until the summer of 2004.

 

If the commission had actually followed up and done its due diligence, the chart would exist today in their hands and what Senator Gorton says was irrelevant probably would have been featured prominently in their report.

 

DOBBS: As another member of the commission, Tim Roemer, has said on this broadcast, he never saw the chart, no one has ever been able to produce the chart, he would have loved to have seen the chart.

 

ZAID: Absolutely.

 

And I can tell you also that Senator Gorton is not necessarily speaking for the entire 9/11 Commission.

 

I know of meetings with at least one commission member -- and it's not who you just referenced -- who does not agree with what Senator Gorton is saying.

 

DOBBS: Well, let's find out, what is the next step here? Because Congressman Curt Weldon, who is doing an outstanding job of advocacy for truth here and trying to get to the truth, and Senator Specter holing hearings on the Judiciary Committee on this very issue -- what happens next? How do we get to the truth?

 

ZAID: Yes.

 

And the Defense Department has been blocking the Senate Judiciary from pursuing their investigation. I had to testify in the place of my clients because DOD wouldn't allow it.

 

We're hopeful that somewhere within the grand canyon of the government and in the defense contractors that additional information, and especially the documents, someone will find some copies.

 

We do know that there is at least another person coming forward soon who will say the same assertion that Shaffer and Philpott and Price and the others have been.

 

So what's their motive? What exactly did these people have to gain by lying? Even the Defense Department says that they're credible witnesses, but unfortunately there is no documents. But we know in this town, just because there's no documents -- hey, 18 minutes off the Nixon tape disappeared. Do we think there wasn't anything on those 18 minutes? We just have to find it.

 

DOBBS: Mark Zaid, we thank you for being here representing Colonel Anthony Shaffer. We will continue along with you to try to get to the bottom as best we can of this remarkable controversy on able danger...

 

ZAID: Thank you.

 

DOBBS: And who knew what a year before 9/11.

 

Congressman Curt Weldon as we just mentioned, leading an investigation being and a remarkable advocate for both your clients and for the truth here. Thank you.

[Norrin_Radd]

For those who are interested, I am scheduled to appear on CNN's Lou Dobbs' program at approximately 6:40 pm EST to discuss Able Danger.

 

As always, this is subject to change.

 

That's 5:40 pm CST. I rushed to get home @ 6:35 pm only to find Anderson Cooper 360 on.

 

 

you, Fuelboy!

 

 

you, Norman Raid!

 

 

..........

[esquirecomics]

For those who are interested, I am scheduled to appear on CNN's Lou Dobbs' program at approximately 6:40 pm EST to discuss Able Danger.

 

As always, this is subject to change.

 

That's 5:40 pm CST. I rushed to get home @ 6:35 pm only to find Anderson Cooper 360 on.

 

 

you, Fuelboy!

 

 

you, Norman Raid!

 

 

..........

 

You guys are too much.

 

Fuel baby, leave NR alone! NR is part of our flock, remember!

[action1kid]

Man, I wish i could speak that comfortibly on t.v. I would probably freeze, mr freeze

Mark you were great and they gave you more personal coverage this time.Great and Congrats .I left you a private email...Take a look

[esquirecomics]

Thanks Action!!

 

Tell you what, I'll apprentice you and teach you how to handle yourself on national tv all for the cost of a simple Supes #1. Deal?

[action1kid]

If you can give me the presidency and the oratory skills of JFK, well ok ill think about it.

[Norrin_Radd]

You guys are too much.

 

Fuel baby, leave NR alone! NR is part of our flock, remember!

 

[Forbush-Man]

For those who are interested, I am scheduled to appear on CNN's Lou Dobbs' program at approximately 6:40 pm EST to discuss Able Danger.

 

As always, this is subject to change.

 

That's 5:40 pm CST. I rushed to get home @ 6:35 pm only to find Anderson Cooper 360 on.

 

 

you, Fuelboy!

 

 

you, Norman Raid!

 

 

..........

 

You guys are too much.

 

Fuel baby, leave NR alone! NR is part of our flock, remember!

 

Well, since you put it that way..........but if he's not part of our flock, he's welcome to go flockhimself!!!

 

 

[Norrin_Radd]

For those who are interested, I am scheduled to appear on CNN's Lou Dobbs' program at approximately 6:40 pm EST to discuss Able Danger.

 

As always, this is subject to change.

 

That's 5:40 pm CST. I rushed to get home @ 6:35 pm only to find Anderson Cooper 360 on.

 

 

you, Fuelboy!

 

 

you, Norman Raid!

 

 

..........

 

You guys are too much.

 

Fuel baby, leave NR alone! NR is part of our flock, remember!

 

Well, since you put it that way..........but if he's not part of our flock, he's welcome to go flockhimself!!!

 

 

 

Shut The Flock Up, Fuelboy!

[Forbush-Man]

For those who are interested, I am scheduled to appear on CNN's Lou Dobbs' program at approximately 6:40 pm EST to discuss Able Danger.

 

As always, this is subject to change.

 

That's 5:40 pm CST. I rushed to get home @ 6:35 pm only to find Anderson Cooper 360 on.

 

 

you, Fuelboy!

 

 

you, Norman Raid!

 

 

..........

 

You guys are too much.

 

Fuel baby, leave NR alone! NR is part of our flock, remember!

 

Well, since you put it that way..........but if he's not part of our flock, he's welcome to go flockhimself!!!

 

 

 

Shut The Flock Up, Fuelboy!

 

Aren't flocking with Deathlok right now?!?

[esquirecomics]

If you can give me the presidency and the oratory skills of JFK, well ok ill think about it.

 

As long as I don't need to promise you the women he was able to attain, its a deal.

[chrisco37]

For those who missed the broadcast (and for you late nighters, it repeats at 4 am EST):

 

LOU DOBBS TONIGHT

 

White House on Edge; CIA Leak Probe; Crime and Cover-Up; Able Danger Identified Mohamed Atta Before 9/11; Iraq War Veteran Paul Hackett Close To A Stunning Political Upset In Ohio This Summer; Canada Does Not Trust The U.S. Over Trade

 

Aired October 26, 2005 - 18:00 ET

 

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

 

 

DOBBS: Former 9/11 commissioner, former senator Slade Gorton joined me as a guest last night on this broadcast. We talked about the secret Pentagon project, Able Danger, that Congressman Curt Weldon claims identified Mohamed Atta a year before Atta's involvement in the September 11th attacks.

 

Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Shaffer was one of the top members of Able Danger. There was no mention of Able Danger or its warnings in the 9/11 Commission report. And Gorton discussed why, in his opinion, that was the case.

 

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

 

SLADE GORTON, FORMER 9/11 COMMISSIONER: We learned about Able Danger from Colonel Shaffer, who briefed four of our staffers on it in Kabul, Afghanistan, eight or nine months before our report came out. We immediately followed up on it. We got all of the Able Danger materials from the Department of Defense and they had nothing to do with Mohamed Atta or with any of the other conspirators.

 

So Able Danger was -- it got very interesting, it didn't identify Mohamed Atta a year beforehand. Unfortunately, no one identified Mohamed Atta beforehand.

 

Able Danger was simply irrelevant to our report and still is.

 

(END VIDEO CLIP)

 

DOBBS: Colonel Anthony Shaffer's attorney Mark Zaid joins me now.

 

Mark, thanks for being with us.

 

MARK ZAID, COL. ANTHONY SHAFFER'S ATTORNEY: Thank you.

 

DOBBS: What is your response to what Slade Gorton said there?

 

ZAID: Well, I think the first thing is that someone should remind Senator Gorton he's no longer talking on the Senate floor where he has immunity from defamation, because he's going perilously close to crossing the line with his attacks on Tony Shaffer who, by the way, is -- his statements are being supported by half a dozen or so more career civil servants within the military and the defense contracting community.

 

So it's just nonsense with his statements that, in fact, he's talking about things he just doesn't know, and that's the problem.

 

He doesn't know because the Defense Department never gave the 9/11 Commission the crucial information.

 

DOBBS: Never gave them the information.

 

Dr. Eileen Pricer (ph), Captain Scott Philpott, both DOD, and J.D. Smith (ph), a defense contractor -- did any of those individuals who support your client, Colonel Shaffer -- have any of them made any progress in communicating with the 9/11 Commission, with the government here?

 

ZAID: Well, Shaffer spoke to them in October of '03, as the senator said, and then they asked the DOD for more information. When the DOD -- what we didn't know at the time was that the Defense Department had destroyed millions and millions of the documents that the Able Danger team had come up with, so it's no surprise that the commission then didn't have the information.

 

Then, Scott Philpott goes to them in July of '04, only about a week or so before the committee's report was issued, so it was too late to do anything.

 

Where the senator fails to address is the issue that if the commission had gone back to Shaffer in January of '04, when he tried not once but twice to talk to them and said one sentence, "Mr. Shaffer, we're not finding any documents that support your claims. Can you point us in the direction we should go?"

 

If they had done that, Shaffer could have gone back to his office at DIA and obtained the info.

 

And J.D. Smith, my other client, actually had a copy of the chart -- the chart that everyone is looking for -- with Mohamed Atta's name and photo, had it hanging in his wall. That chart then was destroyed several months later, and the DIA destroyed Shaffer's documents.

 

DOBBS: I'm unclear about who would take a picture, a chart off a wall for an active DOD project without their permission or knowledge?

 

ZAID: No.

 

By this time, Able Danger actually had ceased by late 2000, early 2001.

 

And the copy of the chart that J.D. Smith had was a draft copy that he had just kept as a memento. And when he moved his offices, the paper the chart was on was so frail it just fell apart and was destroyed. That didn't happen until the summer of 2004.

 

If the commission had actually followed up and done its due diligence, the chart would exist today in their hands and what Senator Gorton says was irrelevant probably would have been featured prominently in their report.

 

DOBBS: As another member of the commission, Tim Roemer, has said on this broadcast, he never saw the chart, no one has ever been able to produce the chart, he would have loved to have seen the chart.

 

ZAID: Absolutely.

 

And I can tell you also that Senator Gorton is not necessarily speaking for the entire 9/11 Commission.

 

I know of meetings with at least one commission member -- and it's not who you just referenced -- who does not agree with what Senator Gorton is saying.

 

DOBBS: Well, let's find out, what is the next step here? Because Congressman Curt Weldon, who is doing an outstanding job of advocacy for truth here and trying to get to the truth, and Senator Specter holing hearings on the Judiciary Committee on this very issue -- what happens next? How do we get to the truth?

 

ZAID: Yes.

 

And the Defense Department has been blocking the Senate Judiciary from pursuing their investigation. I had to testify in the place of my clients because DOD wouldn't allow it.

 

We're hopeful that somewhere within the grand canyon of the government and in the defense contractors that additional information, and especially the documents, someone will find some copies.

 

We do know that there is at least another person coming forward soon who will say the same assertion that Shaffer and Philpott and Price and the others have been.

 

So what's their motive? What exactly did these people have to gain by lying? Even the Defense Department says that they're credible witnesses, but unfortunately there is no documents. But we know in this town, just because there's no documents -- hey, 18 minutes off the Nixon tape disappeared. Do we think there wasn't anything on those 18 minutes? We just have to find it.

 

DOBBS: Mark Zaid, we thank you for being here representing Colonel Anthony Shaffer. We will continue along with you to try to get to the bottom as best we can of this remarkable controversy on able danger...

 

ZAID: Thank you.

 

DOBBS: And who knew what a year before 9/11.

 

Congressman Curt Weldon as we just mentioned, leading an investigation being and a remarkable advocate for both your clients and for the truth here. Thank you.

 

No "Spectre". No "More Fun". No "Aluminum Siding".

 

Disappointing Mark.