We haven’t heard a lot about the “Able Danger” story of late, but the Defense Department issued it’s final report yesterday and the verdict? According to the Washington Post:

“The Defense Department’s inspector general has concluded that a top secret intelligence-gathering program did not identify Mohamed Atta or any other hijacker before the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, determining that there is no evidence to substantiate claims that Atta’s name and photograph were on charts collected by military officials before the strikes.

In a 90-page report released yesterday, Pentagon officials said that the recollections of several officials involved in the “Able Danger” data-mining operation “were not accurate” and that a chart they said included a blurry image of Atta and his name never existed. The report concluded that there were no efforts to prevent contact between the Pentagon group and the FBI, a finding that challenges assertions by an officer involved in the program.

“We found no charts or other documentation created before 9/11 that contained a photograph or name of Mohamed Atta and was produced or possessed by the Able Danger team,” acting Inspector General Thomas F. Gimble said in the report.”

I was kind of up and down on this all along. At first I was extremely skeptical, but waned a bit through the rest of 2005 and into the New Year. One thing that bugged me all along was the lack of the physical evidence - ie; “The Chart”. Consequently you’ll remember I told you that this whole affair was going to “go away”. This report basically calls Weldon, Col. Schafer and the rest “not accurate”, or a nice way of flat out calling them liars.

I’m waiting for Weldon to hit the roof, but he’s a little busy on the Campaign trail right now, and fending off spurious attacks from the left. So I imagine he’ll remain quiet.

But I’m still going over the final report and will have more later, but what I read so far it’s what we cops have always said, “It’s the evidence baby!”

More at Tom McGuire

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