ICE, FBI Failures Demand End to Saudi Free Pass Program

Global EntryThe Saudi “trusted traveler” program is not scheduled to begin until January of 2014, but we’ve seen enough ICE and FBI failures to demand an end to the Saudi “free pass” program before it begins. The Boston Marathon tragedy confirmed our vulnerability to ICE and FBI lapses. Visa enforcement is not happening. Warnings are being casually discarded and travel restrictions are not being imposed upon “suspect” individuals.

In January of this year, our Department of Homeland Security Secretary, Janet Napolitano, announced that the Saudis will be granted a direct role in deciding who will be granted “fast-track” entry to the U.S.. Beginning next year Saudi travelers granted a “fast pass” will be able to skip normal Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) checks. They will be able to bypass the long lines and the CBP face-to-face questioning required of most international travelers. Saudis with a “fast pass” will simply flash their passports and leave their fingerprints at an unmanned kiosk.

This most favored treatment has not been afforded to our friends in France or to our friends in Germany. The trusted traveler program has been approved for Israeli travelers but the start date hasn’t been announced. The only nations enjoying the Global Entry privilege are Canada, Mexico, South Korea and the Netherlands.

Americans should be asking, “Why the Saudis?”

15 of the 19 hijackers in the 9/11 attack were Saudi nationals. The Saudi Ministry of the Interior has been reluctant to share its intelligence on suspected terrorists and their financiers. Two former U.S. Senators are still convinced after co-chairing the joint congressional inquiry investigating the attack that agents of the Saudi government were involved with the perpetrators. A still-classified chapter of the inquiry focused on the hijackers’ financial support. Former Senator Bob Graham joined Sharon Premoli in a joint article for the Huffington Post in which they wrote,

“those 28 pages represent only a fraction of the evidence of Saudi complicity that our government continues to shield from the public, under a flawed classification program which appears to be part of a systematic effort to protect Saudi Arabia from any real accountability for its actions.”

In an affidavit submitted to the U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, Senator Graham said,

“I am convinced that al Bayoumi was an agent of the government of Saudi Arabia. To this date this evidence has not been fully explored and pursued, to the considerable detriment of the American public. Whether other of the hijackers also received support from elements of the Saudi government has never been adequately explored. The American public deserves a more robust inquiry into these issues.”

Financial ties are perhaps the most important key to a successful terrorist. Money pays for the training, for the documentation, for the living expenses, for the travel, for the explosives, for the weaponry, and for the accomplices who will work behind the scenes. Without the money there is little chance of success. The source of that money is, of course, Middle Eastern oil. This administration and those of the past have buried any and all links indicating Saudi complicity with terrorists. We shouldn’t be surprised that the financial chapter of the 9/11 inquiry was, and still is classified.

One of the most disturbing blurbs that whipped quickly through the press right after the Boston Marathon bombing was the story about the Saudi national who was taken in for questioning “as a person of interest.” The very next day President Obama had an unscheduled meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal at the White House. Secretary of State John Kerry also had a meeting with the Prince on the same day and both meetings were closed to the press. A short time after those meetings ended it was announced that Saudi National, Abdul al-Harbi, would be deported based upon “national security grounds.”

Abdul al-Harbi happens to be a devout Muslim from Medina and he shares the same last name with a Saudi clan heavily involved in terrorism, many of whom are active al-Qaida fighters. At least five of them are currently residing at Gitmo. Six or more of them are on the Saudi government’s list of 85 wanted terrorists. Adel Radi Saqr al-Wahabi al-Harbi has a $5 million dollar reward on his head issued by the U.S. State Department. Adel Radi is an al-Qaida operative based in Iran who serves as the deputy to Muhsin al-Fadhi who runs Iran’s al-Qaida network.

Abdul Rahman al-Harbi is a 20-year-old Saudi who was here on a student visa. He may have been an innocent student who was at the wrong place at the wrong time, like many of the unfortunate victims of the terrorists’ bombs. To release him only 15 hours after the bombing and to deport him for national security reasons seems curious and premature. The FBI’s investigation of his associates, his classmates and his family members would have barely been initiated. There were no suspects to the crime at the time. Why did we see President Obama step in so quickly? Why the immediate meeting with the Saudi Foreign Minister?

The only statement given to the press about the unscheduled meetings with the Saudi Foreign Minister came from Caitlin Hayden, a White House spokeswoman, who claimed the topic of the discussion was “developments in the region, including the conflict in Syria.” The meeting, Ms. Hayden said, was to “reaffirm the strong partnership between the United States and Saudi Arabia.”

thCAR82SEKObviously our relationship with the Saudis is more important than any additional information we could have gained from further questioning of Abdul. One must ask, however, “How effective would the FBI’s questioning have been?” They failed us completely following the Benghazi tragedy. We still have no answers, no suspects and no arrests. All we have are sidesteps and professional dance maneuvers.

The CIA interrogation group that might have stopped the Underwear Bomber in his tracks was dismantled by the Obama administration shortly before Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab hopped on his Christmas Day flight to Detroit. The FBI’s High-Value Interrogation Group (HIG) assumed the CIA’s interrogation role, but has failed us five times since 9/11:

• Tamerlan Tsarnaev, one of the Boston Marathon bombers.

o After being tipped by the Russians about his extremist ties, the FBI interviewed, investigated and found nothing. No follow-up two years later after his 6-month trip to Russia in 2012. Where did he go while there? Who did he meet with? Where did he get his financial resources? What jihadist ties did he have?

• Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Underwear Bomber.

o Even President Obama called this one an “intelligence failure.” A month before his flight Umar’s father contacted the U.S. embassy in Abuja, the Nigerian capital to tell us that his son was being radicalized in Yemen. A day later our counterterrorism department received the tip but decided the information was not enough to pull his US visa or to place him on a “no-fly” list. The UK already had him on their no-fly list and had pulled his UK visa. On December 16th Umar purchased his ticket from Nigeria to Amsterdam to Detroit with nearly $3000 in cash. He boarded without checking or carrying any luggage. The CIA and the FBI did nothing. We missed him at every step,” said Rep. Peter Hoekstra.

• Nidal Hasan, the Ft Hood terrorist.

o The Army and the FBI missed all the signs on this one and 13 people were killed. The FBI had compelling evidence of Hasan’s extremism that should have led to his discharge and a full investigation of his terrorist ties.

• Anwar al Awlaki, spiritual leader of several of the 9/11 hijackers.

o The FBI began investigating Awlaki in 1999 after he was visited by Sheikh Omar Abdul Rahman. Links to Al Qaida figures and to Hamas financing were not enough to warrant continuing the investigation. One month before the investigation closed he spoke four times to hijacker associate Omar al-Bayoumi. Bayoumi, the Saudi official, had also been under a separate FBI investigation at about the same time.

• Abdulhakim Mujahid Muhammed (born Carlos Leon Bledsoe), the Little Rock, Arkansas shooter.

o Bledsoe was interviewed by the same FBI agent twice before the shootings, once while he was in prison in Yemen and again in Nashville when he returned to the U.S. He was never placed under surveillance because he wasn’t believed to “pose a threat.” Bledsoe’s father blames the FBI for the death of the Army recruit his son killed. They knew his son had extremist ties, but the FBI did nothing.

The FBI’s 30-day investigations and ICE’s visa tracking system need major overhauls and system upgrades. Test periods to determine their accuracy and effectiveness need to be completed before the Department of Homeland Security drops free entry passes into the hands of the Saudis or into the hands of any of our Middle Eastern “friends.”

The Global Entry Privilege cards should be placed in the circular file. We cannot afford their risk to our public safety. Every Saudi, every Libyan, every Nigerian, every Yemeni, every Somali, every Iranian and every North Korean must be stopped and interviewed at the border. In fact, just to make it fair, we need to stop everyone before they enter our country. We need to interview every applicant before we grant access to our great country.

STOP the Global Entry Privilege cards, especially for the Saudis! Contact your congressional representatives and let them know that everyone needs to be interviewed at the border and rechecked once a year if on work or student visas.

The Saudis are not our friends. They want our money, but they hate our politics, our religions and our freedoms.

thCAUJH7R9

We’ve experienced the horror of  hatred.

We cannot afford to lower our guard

or close our eyes

as the terrorists extend their reach.

 

Share
Posted in Appearances are Deceiving, Dazed and Confused, Frozen in Fear, Justice, Sleepless and Tired, War, Worried and Stressed | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off

Special Ops Heroes Ask President Why He Doesn’t Have Their Backs

Special-Operations-SpeaksOur heroes have had enough. They are tired of the Benghazi cover-up. 700 retired Special Operations veterans have sent the House of Representatives a letter requesting an investigation. Our Special Ops heroes have asked 16 important questions which have been ignored in previous hearings and inquiries. They want Congress to demand the answers from the President. The men and women who have put their lives on the line are asking why he doesn’t “have their backs” as President Obama has so often claimed.

America’s “free press” used to demand the answers, but today’s media sleeps in the lap of the President. While not in his lap some of our “reporters” are battling for the bones being tossed to his favorites. Others are happy to get their paws in the Lincoln bedroom. Others are waiting for the whistle to attend one of the next White House/Hollywood dinner parties. Those who mouth discrediting yelps are not allowed to enter the master’s glorious mansion.

The American people deserve the truth. Who better to ask for the truth than the heroes who have put their lives on the line for us? Our military has adopted a policy of “no one left behind,” but this administration’s Benghazi response was quite different. Our Special Ops heroes wonder why this administration no longer “has their backs.”

The 16 questions posed in their letter to the members of the U.S. House of Representatives are:

1. Why was there no military response to the events in Benghazi?

• Were military assets in the region available? If not, why not?

• If so, were they alerted?

• Were assets deployed to any location in preparation for a rescue or recovery attempt?

• Was the military assistance requested by the Department of State? If so, what type?

• Were any US Army/Naval/USMC assets available to support the US diplomats in Benghazi during the attack?

2. What, if any, non-military assistance was provided during the attack?

3. How many US personnel were injured in Benghazi?

4. Why have the survivors of the attack not been questioned?

5. Where are the survivors?

6. Who was in the White House Situation Room (WHSR) during the entire 8-hour period of the attacks, and was a senior US military officer present?

7. Where were Leon Panetta and General Martin Dempsey during the crisis, and what inputs and recommendations did they make?

8. Where were Tom Donilon, the National Security Advisor, Denis McDonough, his deputy, Valerie Jarrett and John Brennan during the attacks, and what (if any) recommendations or decisions did any of them make?

9. Why were F-16 fighter aircraft based in Aviano, Italy (less than two hours away) never considered a viable option for disruption (if not dispersal) of the attackers until “boots on the ground” (troop support-General Dempsey’s words) arrived?

10. Were any strike aircraft (such as an AC-130 gunship) in the area or possibly overhead that would cause former SEAL, Tyrone Woods to laser-designate his attacker’s position and call for gunship fire support, thereby revealing his own location that led to his death?

11. Who gave the order to “STAND DOWN” that was heard repeatedly during the attacks?

12. What threat warnings existed before the attack, and what were the DOD and DOS responses to those warnings? What data (which reveal exact timelines and command decisions) is contained within the various SITREPS, records, logs, videos and recordings maintained by the myriad of DOD, Intelligence Community and State Department Command Centers that were monitoring the events in Benghazi as they unfolded?

13. Why did the Commander-in-Chief and Secretary of State never once check in during the night to find out the status of the crisis situation in Benghazi?

14. What was the nature of Ambassador Stevens’ business in Benghazi at the time of the attack?

15. What guidance has been provided to survivors and family members since the time of the attack, and who issued that guidance?

16. Why are so many agencies now requiring their personnel that were involved in or have access to information regarding the events that took place in Benghazi sign Non-Disclosure Agreements?

Congress has shown little leadership in the pursuit of the Benghazi truth. They’ve huffed and they’ve puffed, but they’ve only blown smoke. The hearings and inquiries have turned into nothing more than fond farewells to the Secretary of State who was most responsible for the failures and the cover-up.

When our diplomats are threatened, we owe them additional protection. When they and their security personnel are attacked, we MUST respond immediately with all available resources. To “STAND DOWN” when confronted by the enemy is an embarrassment to the heroes who protect us.

We have heard our President and the First Lady repeatedly promise to “have the backs” of our military personnel. That promise is more than a promise. It is the duty of our Commander in Chief to protect our men and women at home and abroad.

When our President fails to confront the enemy and fails to defend our people, his dereliction encourages future transgressions. Islamic terrorists are inspired when they see weakness in their enemies.

The Benghazi tragedy still weighs heavily on the hearts of the victims’ families. They deserve answers to all of the above questions. Our Special Ops heroes want a Commander in Chief who will support them with action rather than words. It is right for them to demand answers from this administration.

President Obama will be remembered for his weakness in Benghazi and for leaving our men behind. He will be remembered for his dereliction of duty and for his cover-up.

Not a whimper from the lapdogs, and no surprises there.

But where are the American people?

Doesn’t anyone care?

Our heroes care!!!

CLICK HERE to visit Special Operations Speaks.

See the 10-part Benghazi series beginning with: Five Tough Questions for a President Who Leads from Behind

Share
Posted in Appearances are Deceiving, Dazed and Confused, Frozen in Fear, Sleepless and Tired, War, Watchdog Media, Worried and Stressed | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Comments Off