FBI director meets with Sept. 11 relatives

WASHINGTON -- About three dozen relatives of people killed in the Sept. 11 attacks told FBI director Robert Mueller he hasn't done enough to determine if the agency acted properly prior to the terrorism -- but applauded his efforts to provide them with information.

Mueller spent about 90 minutes meeting privately with the family members, most of whom are involved in advocacy and victim support groups formed after the attacks that killed more than 3,000 people in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

Many questioners focused on accountability for failing to piece together intelligence that might have allowed authorities to disrupt plans of the 19 al-Qaida hijackers.

Stephen Push, who heads Families of September 11, said several people demanded to know why more FBI employees weren't fired or demoted or otherwise punished.

"Clearly, there were major screw-ups," said Push, whose wife was aboard the plane that slammed into the Pentagon. "To say that no one is responsible is not acceptable."

Mueller said he would not embark on a broad campaign to punish rank-and-file FBI employees for Sept. 11 failures. Instead, he said, the FBI is focused on transforming itself into a new agency with detection and prevention of terrorism as its primary mission.

In a statement issued after the meeting, Mueller said the families are "very important to the men and women of the FBI and that the session provided an opportunity to update them on the attacks investigation and on the changes being made at the bureau.

It marked the second time this year Mueller has given private briefings to family members of Americans killed in terrorist attacks. Last month he played host to the families of sailors killed and wounded in the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, a guided missile destroyer attacked while refueling in Yemen.

Some Sept. 11 family members came armed with a written list of 50 questions for Mueller. These ranged from what the FBI told local New York authorities about terrorist threats against the World Trade Center to why there weren't tighter national standards for issuance of drivers licenses.

"I didn't really find any answers that weren't out there already," said Bruce DeCell of New York, whose son-in-law perished in the World Trade Center. "It's nice that they entertained us anyway."

Push, of Washington, echoed that sentiment, saying he was "impressed" at Mueller's willingness to spend time answering pointed questions. "It was very informative," he said.

Kristen Breitweiser, whose husband died in the World Trade Center, said she most welcomed the chance to speak directly with Mueller, rather than focusing entirely on the independent commission created by Congress to investigate the attacks.

"I think it was very encouraging that they reached out to us to have this meeting. They're doing a very good job of playing catch-up at this point," said Breitweiser of Middletown Township, N.J. "But we still have a lot of questions we want answered."

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