The CIA still won't hand over to Congress its Inspector General's report that names names about who should be held accountable for inadequate pre-9/11 intelligence, the NYT reports:

The Central Intelligence Agency has blocked, at least temporarily, the distribution of a draft internal report that identifies individual officers by name in discussing whether anyone should be held accountable for intelligence failures leading up to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, members of Congress from both parties said.

The delays began in July, at the direction of John E. McLaughlin, then the acting director of central intelligence, and have continued since Porter J. Goss took over as the intelligence chief last month, members of Congress said. The delays have postponed the next step in the process, which calls for the draft report to be reviewed by affected individuals.

It is not known who is named in the report, conducted by the C.I.A.'s inspector general, an independent internal investigator. The review was sought in December 2002 by the joint Congressional committee that investigated intelligence failures leading up to the Sept. 11 attacks. The purpose, that panel said, should be to determine "whether and to what extent personnel at all levels should be held accountable'' for any mistakes that contributed to the failure to disrupt the attacks.

Goss is sticking his finger in the eye of his former colleague on the House intel committee Jane Harman, and other Senate and Congressional intelligence committee members, including Republican Peter Hoekstra and Sen. John D. Rockefeller. Will anyone remember the obstruction of Congressional oversight the next time it's time to approve a CIA budget?

Posted by Laura at October 27, 2004 12:43 AM