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Attorney General
Remarks
Pennsylvania Crash Site
September 20, 2001
ATTY GEN.
ASHCROFT: Thank you, General. I appreciate very much your
hospitality and the fact that you've made this particular tragedy a
matter of your personal attention. At the outset, let me say how
much I am grateful for the presence of John Gillis. John Gillis is
a member of the Justice Department's team. He's in charge of victim
services. I wanted him to be with me to see today the crash site so
that he could have the kind of sensitivity in dealing with victims
of this great tragedy. A veteran of well over 20 years of specific
law enforcement as a police officer, he's also had tragedy touch
his family. His daughter was brutally murdered by gang members. He
understands these kind of circumstances, and I'm glad that he's
with me.
- Mary Beth Buchanan
is the new U.S. Attorney, the spokesperson for the justice system
of the United States of America in this part of the world, and
delighted that she could be with us today.
- Jack Shay is the
SAC, the special agent in charge, of the FBI. Thank you for your
briefing, which was comprehensive and, frankly, it's a real credit
to the individuals who have been working here. I'm
grateful.
- I had the chance
of meeting with Major Zapinka (sp) of the Pennsylvania State
Police. He, and those individuals with him, have been serving
admirably. And I'm delighted that his service to Pennsylvania and
Governor Ridge is so thorough.
- General Fisher,
thank you. I spent eight years as a state attorney general, and I
know that in times like these, the complete focus and attention of
an attorney general can mean a lot, and I'm grateful to
you.
- It is impossible
to stand in a field in Pennsylvania at the site of heroic devotion
and activity without thinking of the words of Abraham Lincoln, who
spoke 140 years ago at Gettysburg. He put it this way, "The world
will little note nor long remember what we say here, but it can
never forget what they did here."
- In the midst of
this tragedy is a testimony of the American spirit, of individuals
who bravely and courageously were willing to endure additional
risks and pay an ultimate price so that others would be more
secure. That's the heroic tradition of law enforcement and public
service in the United States of America, and I simply cannot pass
at this site without reflecting on the fact that it became a part
of the conduct and life of so many individuals who were heroic at
this site. And it should be a testimony and inspiration to every
American everywhere, to understand that public safety is
everybody's business, and it's our opportunity to do those things
that preserve our liberty and the integrity of what it means to
enjoy the freedoms we call America.
- This tragedy which
befell the United States of America on September the 11th was an
act of war by others seeking to disrupt the kind of freedom and
liberty that we enjoy in the United States of America. We have been
intently examining all the evidence to develop a complete
understanding not only of the responsible parties and organizations
so that they can be appropriately dealt with and punished, but also
developing a better understanding of what we can do to make sure
that we disrupt, interrupt, stop, thwart, curtail the risk of
further events like those events of Tuesday, September the 11th.
That is the responsibility that we labor incessantly on, and we
will leave no stone unturned to make sure that we do what we can to
minimize the risk of reoccurrence.
- We have to give
thanks for the many state and local law enforcement officials who
are working with the 4,000 FBI agents who are part of examination
teams, the 3,000 support workers who support them, the assigned
individuals from the U.S. Marshal Service who have joined the FBI,
individuals from the United States Border Patrol. We met this
morning with ATF workers from the Treasury Department of the United
States.
- This investigation
and effort is the largest criminal investigation ever launched,
more comprehensive devotion of resources. And we will develop a
better understanding. We will identify the parties responsible. And
we will provide a basis for punishing parties and organizations
whose mission it was to disrupt America's life of freedom and
liberty. And that is a firm commitment.
- At the very heart
of the investigation is the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the
world's premier law enforcement agency. I had the privilege of
talking to those who are sifting through the evidence here, the
site, who described searching for evidence on hands and knees,
picking up all of the pieces so that we could piece together an
understanding which will provide the basis for justice and response
by the United States of America against those who perpetrated the
crime and those that harbored them, who gave them aid and
assistance and supported them.
- At the heart of
that investigation is the director of the FBI, who has coordinated
these efforts of the FBI as the leading agency in this
investigation. And I'm pleased to be able to invite him to make
remarks at this time. Bob Mueller is an individual whose service in
law enforcement is over the course of many decades, having served
as a U.S. attorney in Boston, U.S. attorney in San Francisco, the
chief of the Criminal Division of the FBI in Washington, D.C., a
staff attorney, assistant U.S. attorney working homicides in
Washington, D.C., and now as the director of the FBI, the Federal
Bureau of Investigation.
Bob?
MR. MUELLER: I
only at the outset can acknowledge the -- or state that every FBI
agent, every FBI employee acknowledges, respects and has the utmost
admiration for the heroic efforts of the passengers on Flight
93.
- And I think our
admiration, our respect for those passengers is shared by just
about everybody in the country.
- The FBI has the
initial jurisdiction for investigating incidents such as this. But
we are but one of so many law enforcement agencies who come
together at times like this, and other such times, and work
together hand in hand to bring those responsible to justice. And it
is thus here.
- And I want to
spend just a moment to talk about the support that the Bureau, ATF,
Red Cross have provided to this effort here. In particular, I want
to mention -- agents tell me that there's been a huge outpouring of
support from the communities here in Somerset County and throughout
Pennsylvania. And for that support, we thank you from the depth of
our hearts.
- Others have helped
and should be acknowledged. Pennsylvania State Police, Colonel
Hicks (sp), Major Zapinka (sp), and the Pennsylvania Emergency
Management Agency were here moments after this happened and have
worked hand in hand with the FBI, ATF, and the other federal
agencies.
- I want to just
mention, in conclusion, the Red Cross and the Salvation Army. To
walk the line and see the agents you expect in a circumstance like
this, it's a crime scene and you expect agents to be sifting
through the rubble in order to determine whether there's evidence
there that can be used in prosecution down the road in order to
bring these individuals to justice. But to see the Red Cross, the
many volunteers of the Red Cross, to see the volunteers from the
Salvation Army, and all the others from the community who are here
at this site, is a testimony -- is a statement as to how, not only
at this site, but across the country, all persons are coming
together -- all persons who believe that this is an abhorrent act
are coming together to try to bring these individuals to justice.
And all of this together will succeed in bringing the individuals
responsible for this to justice.
- Now, I think
probably the Attorney General and I would be happy to entertain
some questions.
Q -- Can you give
us the status on the black boxes that were found --
MR. MUELLER: We
have -- yes, I'd be happy to. There were two recorders found at the
Pentagon site -- the flight data recorder and the voice recorder.
And unfortunately, we're unable to obtain anything off the voice
recorder because it was so badly burned in that crash.
- We recovered the
flight data recorder here as well as the voice recorder, and we and
the NTSB are in the process of transcribing and, in certain cases,
translating the dialogue, what little dialogue there is on that
voice recorder.
Q -- (Off
mike.)
- MR. MUELLER: I
will say we do not have the voice recorders from the World Trade
Center or the flight data recorders.
Anybody
else?
Q -- Can you tell
us --
MR. MUELLER: Yes,
sir?
Q -- how many
material witnesses have been arrested at this point? And was the
gentleman in the Chicago area yesterday one of them?
MR. MUELLER: There
have been a number of material witness warrants issued, and I
cannot give you the specific number.
Q -- If
translations are required off the cockpit voice recorder, one could
assume, then, that the hijackers were on that?
MR. MUELLER: I
can't go into the details any more. But I will tell you that we are
-- it will take some time because we are analyzing very carefully
what is heard on that voice data recorder.
Yes,
ma'am?
Q -- Do you still
have a high level of confidence that you can accurately identify
the hijackers?
MR. MUELLER: I
know I said at the outset that I had a high level of confidence on
the identities of the hijackers. We have several hijackers whose
identities were those of the names on the manifests. We have
several others that are still in question. So it's -- the
investigation is ongoing, and I am not certain as to several of the
others.
Q -- Can you tell
me, or do you know, the information on that cockpit voice recorder
from this airline, Flight 93, does it support what a number of the
cellular phone calls from passengers have indicated about the
passengers on board -- (off mike)?
MR. MUELLER: It
would be premature to discuss what's on that until the analysis is
done.
STAFF: We have
time for one more question.
Q -- Do you agree
with -- (inaudible) -- passengers on Flight 93 did attempt to wrest
control of the jet in the air?
MR. MUELLER: I
think both of us here and -- both the attorney general and I and
the attorney general of Pennsylvania have indicated we believe
those passengers on this jet were absolute heroes and their actions
during this flight were heroic.
General Ashcroft
--
STAFF: Thank
you.
Q -- General
Ashcroft, about the possibility of further attacks, there have been
some reports mentioning the 22nd -- (off mike) --
ATTY GEN.
ASHCROFT: I think it's important for Americans to understand this
was a complex attack, coordinated, and that it's very possible that
there are others who would seek to disrupt the liberty in the same
way. The president has indicated and, I think, provided a formula,
which is important, that we should go to work and we should live
our lives, but we should do it with a heightened awareness of a
vulnerability that we have.
- Thank
you.
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