Ruppersberger Reacts to the Release of the

Washington, DC - U.S. Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (Democrat - MD 2) says the Intelligence Community is learning from the mistakes made before the September 11th terrorist attacks and is moving forward to protect our country.

"At this point it is not clear if 9-11 could have been prevented. What is clear is that there was a lack of coordination, lack of analysis, and lack of follow through with the intelligence information that was gathered," said Congressman Ruppersberger.

Congressman Ruppersberger is a member of the Intelligence Committee that put together the September 11th Report that was released this afternoon.

"The Intelligence Community is learning from its mistakes and has improved it communications. The CIA, the FBI, and the NSA are now working closely with local and state governments to aggressively prevent terrorism. Intelligence information is our first line of defense to protect our families, our communities, and our country," said Congressman Ruppersberger.

"In my district, the Maryland 2nd Congressional District, we have the best in professionals protecting our country - from the specialists at the National Security Administration (NSA) to the soldiers at Fort Meade and Aberdeen Proving Ground to the security personnel at BWI Airport and the Baltimore Port. We need to make sure these professionals can do their jobs effectively to protect our nation," said Congressman Ruppersberger.

For more information, contact Heather Moeder Molino at (202) 225-3061