Rep. Curt Weldon (R-Pa.) is promising fireworks at an upcoming Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the Able Danger operation that, in 2000, purportedly fingered al Qaeda cells—including key 9/11 hijacker Mohammed Atta. Weldon told Congressional Quarterly that a DOD employee would testify that civilian supervisors ordered him to destroy a large cache of data pertaining to al Qaeda—or risk losing his job. And this just after the Pentagon shrugged its shoulders last week upon finishing a three-week investigation and reaffirming that Able Danger was merely a planning exercise. (DR, 09/06/05) Pentagon officials did say they had found three new folks who may recall seeing something on Atta.
Navy Adm. Samuel J. Paparo Jr. assumed leadership of the U.S. Indo-Pacific Command, succeeding Navy Adm. John Aquilino at a change of command ceremony, urging action amid China's “increasing intrusive and expansionist claims,” on May 3