Able Was I - Weldon Remembers!

Eric Umansky, who has been a skeptic at Slate on the Able Danger story, interviews Rep. Curt Weldon and pins down the time when Weldon first became aware that the Able Danger team had identified 9/11 hijacker Mohammed Atta:

Three months ago I was doing my book and went back to [the former Able Danger officers].  I wanted a copy of the chart, because much of my book was dealing with the importance of finding patterns in intelligence. So I asked them if they had another copy of the chart. They said no. So I asked them to recreate one—it was only then that they told me they had actually ID’d Atta and had recommended sharing it. What they told me and what I believe is the case that [the original chart] had a photo and name of Atta.

That ties in with this TIME magazine story, excerpted by Decision '08, Michelle Malkin, and Kevin Drum:

In a particularly dramatic scene in Weldon’s book, Countdown to Terror, the Pennsylvania Republican described personally handing to then-Deputy National Security Adviser Steve Hadley, just after Sept. 11, an Able Danger chart produced in 1999 identifying Atta. But Weldon told TIME he’s no longer certain Atta’s name was on that original document. The congressman says he handed Hadley his only copy. Still, last week he referred reporters to a recently reconstructed version of the chart in his office where, among dozens of names and photos of terrorists from around the world, there was a color mug shot of Mohammad Atta, circled in black marker.

That answers one of my questions from Aug 13 - "When did Weldon learn that Able Danger had identified Atta - is that a fair question to put to him?"

On the other hand - we will soon have a new post on the latest NY Times story in which Weldon's key source identifies himself and claims that Pentagon lawyers blocked him from meeting with the FBI - a point which the Defense Dept. is not yet denying.