Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-4), a leader of the effort in Congress to write the law calling for an independent investigation into the September 11th terrorist attacks, issued the following statement today marking the first meeting of the panel: 

    “This investigation is about identifying and addressing errors so that we can offer answers and adequately protect our citizens in the future. 

    “It is my hope that over the next year-and-a-half, the commissioners will thoroughly examine all of the evidence and follow every angle wherever it may lead so that we will never again experience such a loss of life at the hands of cowardly terrorists.  Commissioners should thoroughly review what went wrong at several agencies and departments including the border patrol, INS, Customs, the FAA, and the Port Authority, to name a few.  

    “I’d again like to thank the many family members who fought so hard to establish the commission.  Especially deserving of thanks are four widows from New Jersey – Kristen Breitweiser, Patty Casazza, Mindy Kleinberg, and Lorie Van Auken – each of whom has invested a great deal of time and effort so that others will be safer in the future.”