by Scott Ott
(2005-06-10) -- In the years leading up to the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon, the FBI fumbled several opportunities to capture Clinton-era Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick, according to a new study by the Justice Department's Inspector General.
The report also details how the FBI missed five chances to uncover vital information about two of the 9/11 hijackers.
Ms. Gorelick is best known for creating 'The Wall', a procedural barrier between criminal investigations and intelligence gathering which hindered the FBI's ability to learn more about Al Qaeda from prosecutors working the 1993 WTC bombing case, and blocked a search warrant to examine the computer of Zacarias Moussaoui, the so-called '20th hijacker'.
"In hindsight, we identified several blown chances to take Gorelick into custody," said an unnamed Justice Department spokesman. "Of course, 'The Wall' also prevented the FBI from sharing with prosecutors what it knew about Gorelick and the risk that 'The Wall' posed to our national security."
A spokesman for Ms. Gorelick, who later served on the official panel investigating why the intelligence community failed to stop the 9/11 hijackers, said, "The FBI should have apprehended me. It is unthinkable that I'm still walking the streets and giving my opinion to journalists on matters related to the 9/11 attacks."
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