LIEBERMAN, McCAIN
HAIL BIPARTISAN AGREEMENT ON
INDEPENDENT SEPTEMBER 11th COMMISSION
November 14, 2002
WASHINGTON - Governmental Affairs Committee Chairman Joe
Lieberman, D-Conn., and Senator John McCain, R-Ariz., Thursday
welcomed a bipartisan agreement on establishing an independent,
non-political, blue-ribbon commission to investigate the causes
of the September 11th terrorist
attacks.
The agreement will be added to legislation governing the
2003 activities of federal intelligence agencies.
"This is a decisive victory for the families of
September 11th victims
and the nation as a whole," Lieberman said. "Finally,
we will get a clear, clean picture of what government agencies
failed, how they failed, and why.
As we begin to build a Department of Homeland Security,
we will need that complete picture in order to ensure that a
tragedy of such proportions never happens again."
"I am pleased that Senator Lieberman and I have
reached an agreement to create an independent commission to
investigate the events of September 11th," McCain said.
"Our agreement protects the principles we and the
families of September 11th have pursued in calling for such a
commission since last November: equal bipartisan membership, a
broad mandate to review policies and responses related to the
terrorist attacks across the range of government agencies, and
the subpoena power to dig deep to find out what went wrong and
how we can make sure it never happens again," McCain said.
"The families of September 11th will not rest until
they have answers to the questions that have haunted them since
that day."
The agreement calls for the establishment of a 10-member
National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States
to make a full accounting of the circumstances surrounding the
attacks. The
commission could broadly examine subjects ranging from
intelligence failures, to the flow of money to terrorist
networks, law enforcement, diplomacy, immigration and border
control.
Commission membership will be evenly divided among the
two parties. Members will be prominent U.S. citizens with
national recognition and significant experience in national
security issues. None
will be current office-holders.
The commission will report to the President and Congress
on its findings and recommendations after 18 months.
Two commission members each will be chosen by the Senate
Republican leader, the Senate Democratic minority leader, the
House speaker and the House Democratic leader.
One member will be chosen by the president, and one
member chosen jointly by Congressional Democratic leaders.
The president will choose the commission chair; Democrats
choose the vice-chair. Subpoenas
could be issued if six members agree or if the chair and
vice-chair agree.
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