WASHINGTON

INTERNAL CIA PROBE FAULTS TOP OFFICIALS FOR PRE-9/11 LAPSES

A report from the CIA’s independent investigator is expected to conclude officials at the highest level of the agency are to blame for intelligence lapses prior to the attacks of September 11, 2001.

The report by the CIA’s inspector general, John Helgerson, which is nearly complete, concludes that senior leaders should be held accountable for failing to provide adequate resources for combating terrorism, the New York Times reported on its Web site late last night.

Among those who receive the most pointed criticism in a draft version are George Tenet, the former director of central intelligence, and Jim Pavitt, former deputy director of operations, both of whom resigned last summer, the newspaper said. The report quoted current and former intelligence officials.

The report has been reviewed by select government officials. A CIA spokesman declined to comment on the investigation.

A former intelligence official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press that Mr. Tenet has reviewed a small portion of the report and was given an opportunity to respond. The official said the report discusses accountability for the attacks of September 11, 2001 – primarily based on the inspector general’s review of a joint House-Senate inquiry into the attacks.

– Associated Press

WEST

CHARGES DROPPED AGAINST WOMAN IN FBI SEX CASE

LOS ANGELES – A federal judge yesterday dismissed all charges against a Chinese-American woman accused of using a sexual affair with an FBI agent to gain unauthorized access to classified documents.

U.S. District Judge Florence Marie Cooper dismissed the case for prosecutorial misconduct, finding that the government had purposely made sure that Katrina Leung, a socialite with extensive China contacts, would not have access to her former lover, James Smith, for information regarding her case.

Mr. Smith, Ms. Leung’s FBI “handler” for many years, has pleaded guilty to a single count of making a false statement about the affair and agreed to cooperate with the government. He had been accused of mishandling classified material and allowing it to fall into Ms. Leung’s hands. Ms. Leung, of San Marino, allegedly took the documents from his briefcase. She was not accused of transmitting them to China. U.S. attorney’s spokesman Thom Mrozek said prosecutors strongly disagree with the ruling but had not decided how to respond.

“While litigating this motion we argued the government did not prohibit Mr. Smith from speaking to Ms. Leung’s attorneys if he chose to do so,” he said.

The government could drop the case, ask Judge Cooper to reconsider, or take the issue to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

– Associated Press

SOUTH

AUTOPSY SHOWS BOUNCERS KILLED STUDENT

NEW ORLEANS – A black college student who died in a New Year’s Eve scuffle outside a French Quarter karaoke bar was suffocated by three white bouncers who had him a choke hold for 12 minutes, the coroner said yesterday. The bouncers were later booked with negligent homicide.

Arthur Irons, 40; Clay Montz, 32; and Matthew Taylor, 21, turned themselves in to police last night after warrants were issued for their arrests, New Orleans police said. Coroner Frank Minyard said security video from the Razzoo Bar and Patio club shows three bouncers holding Jones on the pavement in front of the bar. One had him in a choke hold, another was pushing down on his back, and a third held his feet. Mr. Minyard said Jones’s death was caused by a combination of the choke hold and pressure on his back that prevented him from breathing.

The coroner’s announcement came one day after Jones’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit claiming race was a factor in the fight.

According to the lawsuit, Jones and a friend, Anthony Williams, were going into the bar when they were stopped by an employee who said Mr. Williams did not meet the dress code. Mr. Williams claimed discrimination, saying white people similarly dressed were allowed in. Mr. Williams was wearing jeans and a button-down shirt, according to police.

Steven Witman, a lawyer for the club owners, has said that the fight started after the bouncers were assaulted, and that investigations would show they acted properly.

– Associated Press

HEALTH

PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY WILL PUBLISH MORE DATA ON DRUG TRIALS

The embattled pharmaceutical industry announced its intention yesterday to publish more data about clinical drug trials, despite skepticism about whether the initiative will really increase transparency and improve drug safety.

The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations, along with three other industry associations covering Europe, America, and Japan, said they will disclose a free, detailed registry of current and completed drug trials on the Internet. The decision comes amid revelations that the industry muzzled negative data about some of its products and growing questions about drug safety.

The industry said that by mid-2005 it will publish the results of completed trials as well as details about studies that are being initiated on publicly accessible databases. The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America is recommending that its members post studies on an existing government-run web site (www.clinicaltrials.gov) starting on July 1.

– Associated Press