Turmoil reportedly besets joint inquiry into attacks

WASHINGTON - Almost halfway through its historic investigation, the joint House-Senate inquiry into the Sept. 11 attacks is hampered by infighting, politics, leaks, and dueling agendas.



Several staff members at a recent meeting talked openly of ''getting'' CIA Director George Tenet fired, according to two knowledgeable sources who spoke on condition of anonymity. They described a staff that has been divided and lacked direction.

One source said members of the independent staff made ''disparaging, unprofessional'' comments about Tenet one day after the CIA director's closed-door testimony last month before the House and Senate committees.

That's exactly the sort of ''blame game'' that Senator Bob Graham and Representative Porter Goss, the two chairmen from Florida overseeing the investigation, promised would not happen.

Goss has described the inquiry as ''fact- and witness-driven,'' with the goal of finding out what a dozen intelligence agencies did - or did not do - before the terrorist attacks.

Goss, House Intelligence chairman, expressed deep concerns about staff problems and lack of control in conversations last week, according to two sources. Goss, a Republican, declined to be interviewed about these issues on Friday.

Democrat Graham, who has chaired the Senate Intelligence Committee for the last year, said any staff problems are being addressed and should be kept in perspective. He also praised the staff for ''some excellent groundwork'' for public hearings later this year.

''This is a difficult process we're going through, and we're dealing with issues that are without precedent,'' Graham said. He noted it's the first time two standing committees of Congress - with a total of 37 members - have come together to oversee such a complex inquiry.

''We're not out to get anybody or build statues to anybody,'' he said.