UPDATE:

QTMonster has the transcript of Weldon on Michael Savage’s show prior to his floor speech (which is where Pedro – who gave me the heads up – had heard about the firestorm Weldon planned to unleash.)

END UPDATE

Michelle Malkin is correct when she says Weldon went ballistic tonight on the House floor. My good friend Pedro gave me the heads up and we have it recorded. I had a date with the lovely wife over a few episodes of 24, 1st season – but I did catch a bit in between shows. Weldon is rightly pissed off at the way the DIA has drudged up BS charges to ruin his career.

So, my apologies for starting this late, my eternal thanks to Michelle for the link, and lets roll the tape and see what happened (is there such a thing as a delayed live blogging???). BTW – there is some new surprises in this – heard them during the intermissions for 24!

Weldon begins with is bona fides, which is more than enough to discuss this issue. He goes through his support of the military, Bush, his campaigns and for Rumsfeld. He “rises tonight, to express my absolute outrage and disgust with what is happening in our Defense Intelligence Agency” (DIA). He is just warming up.

He reviews the history and his experience with ‘new technology’ and program that the CIA, before 9-11, rejected. It revolves around Data Mining and an idea he called NOAH.

Weldon goes into describing “an elite unit” out of special operations – Able Danger. He claims that he did not know until June of this year that Able Danger ID’d the Brooklyn cell of Al Qaeda in January and February of 2000 (these being the most specific dates I have seen, and before the data purge in the late spring of 2000). Weldon then says that Able Danger ID’d Atta and the other three 9-11 terrorists. He also discusses the time in September 2000 when the three attempts were made to contact the FBI (another clarification date).

Folks, from here on in I go live while replaying the recording…

UPDATE 11:12 (all Eastern)

Weldon then goes on to discuss Louie Freeh’s interview on Meet The Press. He zeroes in on Freeh’s response about Able Danger (see QT Monster for transcript). Weldon claims Freeh stated the actionable data from Able Danger could have prevented 9-11. Strong stuff. He continues on with the Able Danger issue as we know it.

UPDATE 11:19

He is speaking out tonight to get the story out. And as bad as all this is, it is still worse. He claims the 9-11 commission staff did not want to pursue the story – he needs to tell that to Slade Gorton who has a habit of making grand statements for the 9-11 Omission. Weldon goes on to state he met in August and September with military officials involved in Able Danger – I had no idea it was this late breaking.

Weldon then names the first big new player. He says his conversations with Able Danger military officials was going well until leaders in the Defense Intelligence Agency, including the Deputy Director” decided the story should not be told. The DIA has “gagged” the military officers and not permitted them to talk to members of Congress (and trust me, that really pisses Congress off). BTW, there appear to be a lot of Deputy Directors for the DIA.

UPDATE 11:30

Weldon’s tirade starts warming up with the accusation the DIA is out to destroy the career and life of Lt Col Shaffer. I agree. He worries this is too easy to ignore. He reminds us Lt Col Shaffer took an oath to defend our country for 23 years, and received the Bronze Star and other commendations from DIA and SOCOM.

Another bombshell: The DIA Deputy Director was in a meeting with Lt Col Shaffer nearly a year before 9-11, and Lt Col Shaffer showed him a disk on Atta and Al Qaeda. Weldon then claims the Deputy Director (DD) stopped the meeting and said Shaffer could not show him that information. The DD was afraid it might contain information he shouldn’t see.

Weldon then goes on to drop the next bombshell: there were other people in the room and he knows their names. They have witnesses. Weldon then says the DD denies he was at the meeting and the story! Wow – this is big stuff. The staff seems to be rising up against the DD. Weldon is going to pursue it.

UPDATE 11:38

The Weldon goes on to highlight the lifting of Shaffer’s clearances just prior to his scheduled testimony in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Next bombshell: Shaffer has been notified that the DIA intend to go after his pay and family health care benefits (he has two children). What kind of dumba$$ maneuver is the DIA trying to play at here? Weldon rightfully asks “why?”

UPDATE 11:42

Weldon wisely goes on to highlight Sandy Berger’s experience with classified information and his clearances. Too funny! Bergler lied, stole and destroyed critical informati0n and Shaffer told the truth (and stole pens at 15). No wonder Weldon is hot under the collar. They will not fire him, so they can control his access to the media. They have taken his pay and health care – but he is under a legal gag that bars him from defending himself.

Go Curt! He is recalling how he faced down the Russians and North Koreans and how they treat their people. Goes on to relay his visit to Libya as well. He is disgusted he has to now take on the DIA. Someone get this part on video, because it is great!

UPDATE 11:48

Weldon says “this is not America” and “this is not what I have been told by Secretary Rumsfeld” about defending our troops. This sends the wrong signals to our fighting men and women.

Next bombshell (Weldon seems well stocked tonight): he is calling for an independent investigation of the DIA and their efforts to destroy Shaffer’s life. I can support that. They trumped up bogus charges (and he goes through the pathetic list). He re-hashes the idiotic ‘pen’ charge for stealing public property at age 15 on tour with his dad. What a joke that was.

UPDATE 11:55

Just noticed Instapundit’s post on this wild night in the House.

The DIA General Counsel sent Shaffer a letter on Sept 23. Weldon cannot put the letter into the record now, but does quote near the end of it:

“He cannot receive anymore classified information from the Defense Intelligence Agency because I checked and his security clearance have all been removed. Therefore he is not allowed to look at anything that is ‘Secret’ or ‘Confidential’.”

Two weeks later, “the stupidity” of the DIA sends 7 packages of Shaffer’s belongings which contain items the DD told Weldon’s staff did not exist 3 months ago. And in the 7 boxes were 5 classified memos! (OK, that is against the law – as Weldon noted). In addition, the DIA included $500 dollars of GFE (government furnished equipment) and 25 pens labled ‘property of the US government’. And these people are here to protect us????

UPDATE 12:05

Weldon promises we will find out what is going on. OK, this is the bombshell I heard earlier in my sneak peaking. Yesterday Weldon met with another Able Danger official who he was not aware of because this person lives outside the DC area. This official has ‘impeccable’ credentials. This official has never been talked to by the Pentagon, DIA or 9-11 staff in any of the investigations into Able Danger.

He had a leadership position in Able Danger and has said there was a separate repository of Able Danger data. Note: I have said for a while the only data purged was the LIWA and Orion data sets. Any data at SOCOM (Able Danger HQ) was not part of the purge and exists to this day.

The data set is from 20 different agencies from 1999-2000 and may well still exist. Furthermore, Weldon goes onto to say this official disputes the 90 day limit on data containing information on US persons is not applicable (which many have stated already). My guess is we are going to see that it was the China study that was the culprit here.

UPDATE 12:12

Next bombshell: When SOCOM asked the Army (LIWA) for the data, that was when the data was destroyed. Weldon claims this was to stop the data from going to SOCOM. Weldon then says the official will say that they kept Able Danger data for months, and kept in contact with a lawyer in the DoD named Schiffrin (ph?) who told him not to worry – just fill out the proper forms and it is OK.

Weldon nows has a very credible witness countering DoD statements. Weldon then goes back to Watergate for comparison (OK, he’s upset) to the deaths of 3,000 people.

UPDATE 12:22

Next bit of information: In a clear reference to Capt Phillpott (who I gather is about to take command of a Navy Destroyer and has 23 years in) Weldon says a navy officer will testify that he saw Atta’s face as early as January 2000. The new person will testify to the name Atta – but not the face.

Weldon is on fire now saying people are trying to ‘cover up’ the truth and ruin a man’s career in the process. And yes, he is pounding the podium. He is making a great point. We cannot let a military officer’s career be destroyed to protect a civilian employee (bureaucrat) – no military person will feel safe or the desire to sacrifice for our country. He is dead on right about that.

UPDATE 12:30

Weldon is now totally beside himself and just livid. He recalls Wolf Blitzer of CNN telling his staff that a defense department employee said that Lt Col Shaffer was having an affair with one of Weldon’s employees!

Oh geez, this is all Bush and Rumsfeld need with the Plame Game coming to a head. I believe Weldon – that is classic DC BS (and so childish to boot). Take it from a native of the DC area, that one probably did happen. This will break wide open now. No doubt.

Need to refill the scotch – be back in a minute!

UPDATE 12:39

Weldon is barely in control of himself. But rightfully he calls on Wolf Blitzer to name the jerk smearing Shaffer. Weldon has other media people who will come forward who knew of efforts to smear Shaffer. Oh boy, this is a Battle Royale!

Weldon asks “is it more important that I not rock the boat:” (which might have happened if they had left Shaffer alone), he asks “is it more important that I not rock the boat because my party is in the White House, because I campaigned for Bush?, because I support Don Rumsfeld?”

The stunner: “Is that more important Mr Speaker? Then I don’t want to be here. I’ll leave. I’ll leave my post!”

My hat is off to Weldon. He is standing by Shaffer to the bitter end. The man has honor and class.

UPDATE 12:43

But he is not going to go until he gets justice for Shaffer and the Able Danger team which the 9-11 commission called ‘historically insignificant’. Weldon says there is something wrong inside the beltway when a man, who went undercover in the ME, had malicious lies spread by a ‘low life’, and now is losing his pay and health care – we cannot let this stand.

Weldon makes an excellent point. If Shaffer was some loon making these charges alone that, would be one thing. But he is backed by a lot of high level, respected people. AJSTRATA: the only reason he is being attacked is he works for DIA and they have a lot to lose – watch for others to come to Shaffer’s side now!

Weldon reminds us Able Danger warned about the USS Cole (a lot to dig up on that subject still) two weeks before the attack, and two days before were ‘screaming’ to not allow the Cole to go into the harbor.

In my mind Weldon came of incredibly well. His anger was well founded and clearly explained. He has never looked or sounded better. And the fact he puts it all on the line gives him even more credibility. With the Plame Game going on the administration cannot have charges of personal attacks and vendettas marrying in the public’s mind the Shaffer’s and Wilson’s.

Bush and Rumsfeld need to crack heads and perp march some people out of the DIA right now. The best line: “this not about DIA or CIA, it is about CYA”.

Thank you Rep Curt Weldon. May you finally attain the allies you deserve in the Congress and Administration to clean up this mess.

Captain Ed Morrissey chimes in here. Good night folks!