President Bush Rejects Criticism from Democratic Leaders - 2002-05-18

President Bush rejected criticisms from Democratic leaders regarding the Bush administration's handling of intelligence prior to the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States. Ongoing political debates suggest that U.S. officials had known for years that terrorists might hijack planes and crash them into government buildings. The White House defended Bush's response, stating that the reports were vague and lacked detailed descriptions of the threats. President Bush dismissed the criticisms from Democratic leaders and some Republicans in Congress, stating that in Washington, 'secondary speculation has become a secondary nature.' Dick Gephardt, the Democratic minority leader in the House of Representatives, refuted Republican claims that the White House's handling of pre-September 11 intelligence had turned into a partisan issue, asserting that the congressional investigation aims to provide information to the American people, who deserve access to such information. An old federal report indicated that hijackers might use a plane as a weapon, adding to the controversy surrounding the Bush administration's handling of intelligence reports before the September 11 attacks. The 1999 report suggested that suicidal hijackers might crash a plane into a government building like the Pentagon. A White House spokesperson stated yesterday that the Bush administration was aware of this report but lacked information pointing to a specific attack. The President stated that had he been aware of the hijackings in advance, he would have used all his power to prevent them.