TESTIMONY
BEFORE THE 9/11 COMMISSION:
Robert Mueller Addresses FBI Leadership and Initiatives
04/14/04
On
4/14, following the testimony of FBI Counterterrorism/Counterintelligence
executive John Pistole on "Preventing
Future Attacks inside the United States",
Director Mueller and Intelligence Executive Maureen
Baginski specifically responded to 9/11 Commission
members on the
FBI's Leadership in detecting and preventing terrorist
attacks on U.S. soil.
We
urge you to read both statements and, if possible,
all the testimony given at the 9/11 Commission's
10th Public Hearing on Law Enforcement and the Intelligence
Community. It's a lot of reading, but it concerns
nothing less than the future safety of the United
States.
Highlights
of Director Mueller's testimony include:
- a
description of asymmetrical and diverse threats
to the U.S. that use criminal networks to advance
terrorist plans.
- the
need for fused intelligence and law enforcement
capabilities to predict and prevent terrorist
attacks.
- the
need for an integrated law enforcement/intelligence "task
force" network, at home and abroad and on
the community level, to detect and defeat terrorist
plans.
- an
overview of the FBI's 7-point plan to protect
the homeland against attack.
- the
importance of protecting Americans against attack
in strict compliance with the Constitution and
the rule of law.
Director
Mueller's conclusion? "The men and
women of the FBI have embraced and implemented
these counterterrorism and intelligence reforms,
while continuing to shoulder the responsibility
to protect America. And, they have carried out
the pressing mandate to prevent further terrorism,
while continuing to work in strict fidelity to
the Constitution and the rule of law."
Links: Read
the Director's full
testimony. Read the full report on The
FBI's Counterterrorism Program Since September 2001.
Go to the 9/11
Commission's web site to review all the testimony
from Public Hearing 10.