Centerfield

Homeland Security Coordination

I thought it a bit odd when I saw Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller announcing at a press conference that there is an increased risk of a major terrorist attack in the U.S. between now and the election, and Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge was not even present, much less making the announcement. I figured that there would be some logical explanation. Turns out that I was wrong.

Homeland Security Department was surprised by the announcement Wednesday by Attorney General John Ashcroft and FBI Director Robert Mueller that a terrorist attack was increasingly likely in the coming months, officials said.

The department, created a year after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, is charged with issuing terrorism warnings to the public, and tension arose when Ashcroft and Mueller effectively took over that role at a news conference Wednesday when they said al-Qaida is preparing an attack inside the United States.

Officials said the Homeland Security Department knew in advance about the news conference but expected it to focus on seven suspects with ties to al-Qaida who were wanted for arrest or questioning. Department officials were caught off guard when Ashcroft went further and warned that al-Qaida "is ready to attack the United States."

This strikes me as Ashcroft and Mueller engaging in prospective CYA politics. If there is a major attack before the election, they can now say that they warned us. I never had strong feelings about Ashcroft one way or the other before last month, but his stunt of declassifying the memo from Jamie Gorelick on the eve of his testimony before the 9/11 Commission, combined with this blindsiding of Ridge, has caused me to develop an affirmative dislike and distrust of him.

UPDATE: Apparently, I am behind the news curve: "NBC News has learned one of Ashcroft’s sources is highly suspect."