Lawmaker draws ire after suggesting administration knew early of Sept. 11

Lawmaker draws ire after suggesting administration knew early of Sept. 11
by nando times(posted by Guido) Saturday April 13, 2002 at 09:14 PM

"What did this administration know and when did it know it about the events of Sept. 11," McKinney said. "Who else knew, and why did they not warn the innocent people of New York who were needlessly murdered? What do they have to hide?" McKinney alleged the military action that followed the attacks has benefited investment firms specializing in defense contracts. She singled out the Carlyle Group, where President Bush's father is on the board.

In a statement Friday, McKinney acknowledged she had no evidence anyone with ties to the Bush administration profited from the attacks. But she didn't back off her allegations that Bush officials may have had prior notice.

In August 2000, McKinney, who is black, issued a statement contending then-Vice President Al Gore had a low "Negro tolerance level" and refused to travel with more than one black person at a time. More than a week later, McKinney's office explained the statement was a draft and never meant for publication.

More recently, she was criticized for writing a letter scolding former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani for returning a Saudi prince's $10 million check for Sept. 11 victims. Giuliani returned it because, during a visit to New York, Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal had suggested U.S. policies toward the Mideast were partly to blame for the attacks.

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