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Freeh Fails Truth Test Refuses to Accept Responsibility for FBI Failure to Prevent Terrorist Attacks After watching Louis Freeh testify before Congress on the intelligence lapses that made 9/11 possible, it is easy to see why he was a complete failure as FBI Director. So deep is his denial with respect to the bureau’s laxity, that it crosses the line from problematic to pathological. During weeks and weeks of testimony before a Senate panel, witness after witness testified to the cultural and legal barriers that prevented intelligence agencies from functioning effectively in the months and years leading up to the terrorist attacks, leaving Freeh as the lone voice of opposition. "What I am telling you is that there is an absolute misperception if there is a notion that we have a culture where information is not shared," the beleaguered Freeh told Congress. Senator Richard Shelby, the top ranking Republican on the Senate panel, disagreed. Freeh’s testimony, "goes against all the testimony that we’ve heard in closed and open sessions," the Senator told the Associated Press. "We’re discovering every day situations where one of the real problems in the intelligence community is not sharing information on a timely basis." Freeh also testified that he saw no evidence that the terrorist attacks could have been prevented while lamely countering the charge that his FBI was not focused enough on preventing foreign and domestic terrorist attacks. Perhaps the former FBI director should pick up a copy of JW’s groundbreaking book, Fatal Neglect, which clearly documents the FBI’s incompetence with respect to its anti-terrorism efforts. Or perhaps he should review Judicial Watch’s complaint on behalf of FBI Special Agent Robert Wright, who has provided conclusive evidence that his efforts to tear down the terrorist financial infrastructure were frustrated by higher-ups within the Bureau prior to 9/11. Special Agent Wright and JW President Tom Fitton recently met with top Congressional staff members who are investigating the 9/11 intelligence failures. "Whether it be the Ruby Ridge cover-up, the FBI files scandal, or his vendetta against Notra Trulock, Louis Freeh has acted as if he were above the law. And now he’s trying to avoid responsibility for any failures of the FBI in preventing the terrorist attacks," said JW President Tom Fitton. "Judicial Watch will see to it that Freeh is held accountable whether Congress does or not.” Judicial Watch currently has several legal actions pending against Louis Freeh, including a lawsuit on behalf of Notra Trulock, the former head of intelligence for the Energy Department. After writing an article critical of the FBI, Mr. Trulock and his landlord had a computer and personal files illegally seized by FBI agents. The Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld key elements of Mr. Trulock’s case and now Freeh is asking the Supreme Court to overturn the decision. "We are confident that the Supreme Court will not be played by Freeh nor, in the end, will a jury," continued Fitton.
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