Jamie Gorelick: The 9/11 Commission

Jamie Gorelick was appointed a member of the National Commission on Terrorist Threats Upon the United States (the "9/11 Commission") in late 2002 by then Minority Leader of the House Richard Gephardt.

Jamie Gorelick's work on the Commission included many televised hearings and lasted some twenty months. The publication of the Commission's work - "The 9/11 Commission Report" -- prompted a public debate which led to a fundamental restructuring of the national intelligence community. The report itself was nominated for a National Book Award. Jamie Gorelick's role in and contribution to the 9/11 Commission is discussed in: Thomas H. Kean and Lee H. Hamilton's "Without Precedent: The Inside Story of the 9/11 Commission" (Knopf 2006) and Philip Shenon's "The Commission: The Uncensored History of 9/11 Investigation" (Hachette 2008).

After the work of the Commission came to an end, the ten commissioners formed the 9/11 Public Discourse Project, a non-profit organization whose mission was to foster debate and discussion about the issues raised in the Report. Each of the former commissioners wrote and spoke on the issues. Jamie Gorelick spoke at Duke Law School about her experience on the Commission, noting, "I enjoyed working in a bipartisan environment, and I hope that the example might encourage others in Washington to do the same."

Today, Jamie Gorelick is a frequent commentator on national security issues. Jamie Gorelick has appeared in multiple PBS and the NPR interviews as well as on network and cable television outlets. Jamie Gorelick has also participated in exercises involving mock emergencies to help explore the difficult questions that are presented in a national security crisis.