The director of the Indiana Counter-Terrorism and Security Council said Wednesday that there is no evidence to back up a claim by U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris that a man of Middle Eastern heritage had plotted to blow up the Midwest power grid in a suburb of Indianapolis.Hang on, there's more:
Speaking Monday night at a gathering of 600 supporters at a rally in Venice, Harris characterized the plotter's arrest in Indiana as a striking example of the nation's success in fighting terrorism. Harris, R-Longboat Key, said explosives were found in the suspect's home in Carmel, Ind.
"We asked ourselves how this could have happened and no one here have been aware of it," said Earl Morgan, director of the Indiana Counter-Terrorism and Security Council.
"The answer from law enforcement across the board, including the FBI, is that no such evidence exists," Morgan said. "Trust me, if there was such a threat, we would know about it. It didn't happen."
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| Harris is Kerry's long-lost sister? Photo source: Newscoast.com |
I wonder, though. If she was so ready to claim a full on terror plot like destroying an entire power grid was real without bothering to do her research, who's to say she did her research when she called the 2000 election for Bush. What about her job as the head of elections, for that matter? Did she do her research then? (If you think she did, go get a copy of The Best Democracy Money Can Buy by Greg Palast.)
Read about Harris' comments at Newscoast.com.
Read an AP article over at Yahoo News that not only covers her comments of regret for making such a dangerous statement without knowing what she was talking about, but also that she sticks by her claim that " the United States has thwarted more than 100 potential terrorist attacks." One wonders if she's done her research regarding this claim, as well.
From Newscoast.com:
Article published Aug 5, 2004Claimed terror plot 'didn't happen'
There's no evidence of Katherine Harris' claims about a bomb scheme, an Indiana official says.
By DAVID HACKETT
VENICE -- The director of the Indiana Counter-Terrorism and Security Council said Wednesday that there is no evidence to back up a claim by U.S. Rep. Katherine Harris that a man of Middle Eastern heritage had plotted to blow up the Midwest power grid in a suburb of Indianapolis.
Speaking Monday night at a gathering of 600 supporters at a rally in Venice, Harris characterized the plotter's arrest in Indiana as a striking example of the nation's success in fighting terrorism. Harris, R-Longboat Key, said explosives were found in the suspect's home in Carmel, Ind.
Her comments made news on television stations in Indianapolis, where no record of such a plot had been reported.
"We asked ourselves how this could have happened and no one here have been aware of it," said Earl Morgan, director of the Indiana Counter-Terrorism and Security Council.
"The answer from law enforcement across the board, including the FBI, is that no such evidence exists," Morgan said. "Trust me, if there was such a threat, we would know about it. It didn't happen."
Harris' claims were an item of discussion at the regularly scheduled Indiana Security Council meeting Wednesday morning in Indianapolis. The council, which works with the Department of Homeland Security on local terrorism threats, is chaired by Indiana Lt. Gov. Kathy Davis. A representative from the FBI also attended the meeting.
Asked if he would contact Harris to tell her the findings, Morgan replied: "As far as I'm concerned, she will have to deal with this herself in terms of how she plans to respond to media questions. We've moved on to bigger and better things."
Jonathan Swain, a spokesman for Indiana Gov. Joe Kernan, a Democrat, said the governor would not comment on Harris' claim.
"All of us are a bit confused by what she said," Swain said. "We're comfortable there is no record of this occurring."
In an interview Tuesday, Harris, who recently visited Indiana, said she learned of the plot "second-hand" from a mayor. She would not identify the mayor or provide other details about the case.
Responding to the flap, Harris said in a news release Wednesday: "The story I shared Monday night with my supporters in Venice illustrated the need for each of us to remain alert and vigilant in fighting terrorism before it has a chance to strike any other American community.
"This example was meant to remind this community as to the success of individual awareness and involvement as our nation's first and best line of defense."
Harris added: "I was told in an open, group setting that a recent situation threatened a Midwestern community and that it had been diffused. I regret that I had no knowledge of the sensitive nature of this situation and any undue concern this may have caused."
She concluded: "However, the lesson from 9/11 is that we must take any report of terrorist activity, any potential account, seriously."
Harris' statement at the Monday night meeting continued to be fodder for her Democratic opponents in Florida's 13th Congressional District.
On Wednesday, Christine Jennings issued a statement: "Winning the war on terror is a priority, but it seems Harris is more concerned about scoring political points. How else can you explain a sitting representative to be so reckless with the facts or possibly releasing publicly classified materials?"
Jennings added: "The statements made at a political event were clearly intended to rally support for Harris using the important issue of Homeland Security.
"It's sad that Katherine views homeland security as an issue to gain re-election, not as an issue important to protecting our citizens."
From the AP and Yahoo News:
Harris Regrets Bogus Terror Plot Claim
Thu Aug 5, 5:26 AM ET
By WILL LESTER, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - Republican Rep. Katherine Harris (news, bio, voting record) said Wednesday she regrets concerns caused by her claim that a plot existed to blow up the power grid in Carmel, Ind. City officials disputed the claims of a plot.
"I was told in an open, group setting that a recent situation threatened a Midwestern community and that it had been diffused," Harris said Wednesday. "I regret that I had no knowledge of the sensitive nature of this situation and any undue concern this may have caused."
But the Florida lawmaker stands by her statement that the United States has thwarted more than 100 potential terrorist attacks.
Harris, who was at the center of the political storm over the disputed 2000 presidential election, made the comments about terrorism and the plot on Monday at a rally for President Bush (news - web sites) in Venice, Fla., and a subsequent interview with the Sarasota Herald-Tribune.
She told the audience that while in the Midwest recently, a mayor told her about a plot in Carmel and how a man of Middle Eastern heritage had been arrested and hundreds of pounds of explosives were found in his home.
"He had plans to blow up the area's entire power grid," she said, according to the newspaper.
City officials in Carmel said they know of no such plot.
"We're aware of the comments we read in the paper," said Tim Green, assistant chief of police in Carmel, a town about 10 miles north of Indianapolis. "We're not aware of any plans to blow up Carmel's power grid."
But Harris stood by her comments to the newspaper that the United States has thwarted potential attacks in the last three years.
"Actually, it's been more than 100," she told the newspaper. "It's classified ... obviously not classified to me ... but things I can't go into details about."
Jessica Furst, a spokeswoman for Harris, said that quote was incorrect and the congresswoman never said the information about the 100 thwarted attacks was classified. The information came from statements by Attorney General John Ashcroft (news - web sites), she said.
Harris said Wednesday in a statement that her comments underscore the need "for each of us to remain alert and vigilant in fighting terrorism."
Harris serves on the House Financial Services Committee and the International Relations Committee, which often gets briefed on terrorism. She does not serve on the House Intelligence Committee.
Disclosure of classified information is forbidden by law and by the rules of Congress, which require members to take an oath. However, prosecutions or sanctions of members for revealing secret information are rare.
Associated Press Writer Liz Sidoti contributed to this report.
Copyright © 2004 The Associated Press
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