Graham said the joint inquiry report was completed more than five months ago and provides very detailed information on "the buildup to Sept. 11." It also raises policy questions as to whether "those lessons have been applied since."
Graham said the public needs to know those details, but that the joint inquiry staff has been blocked from releasing large segments of the final report because the Bush administration has insisted that it remain classified --including information already disclosed in public hearings.
"I think what they are shooting at is to cover up the failures that occurred before Sept. 11 [as well as] the failure to utilize the information that we have gained to avoid a future Sept. 11," Graham said on the talk show.
"I think the American people should be informed about what kind of capability terrorists have inside the United States. They should be informed about the prospect that foreign governments have been aiding the terrorists in the United States. They should be informed of why we are not using that information to do a more effective job of dealing with terrorists where they live, and when they've been placed in the United States," Graham said. He added that such information remains "currently classified for the American people, unnecessarily so."
Bush administration officials on Sunday denied that they have engaged in any kind of coverup. They said it takes time to carefully declassify such a lengthy and sensitive report.
The report in question is based on more than 400,000 pages of highly classified material that, if released, could jeopardize national security, White House spokesman Tucker Eskew said.
"We have been working cooperatively with the joint inquiry from the beginning so that the American people will know what happened," Eskew said.
"I don't think the American people want their government to release operational details or sources and methods that could compromise our national security."
