Tom Ridge: Terror Level Increases Were Politically Motivated

In his new book, "The Politics of Terrorism", former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge claims that top advisers pressured him to raise the terror alert just a few days before the 2004 election. In a chapter entitled "The Test of Our Times", Ridge alleged that ex-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and ex-Attorney General John Ashcroft had argued for an "Orange Alert", a high threat warning, because of a ideo by Osama Bin Laden on October 29, 2004.

Ridge writes, "Ashcroft strongly urged an increase in the threat level and was supported by Rumsfeld." Ridge says that no intelligence hinted of a new attack, and his aides objected to the White House and the threat level was not changed.

Ashcroft's spokesman in 2004, Mark Corallo, denied that the Attorney General played politics with national security. However, careful investigations by the media revealed that the Justice Dept. frequently issued terrorism related announcements to give Bush a boost in the polls against Democrat John Kerry.

Ridge's book will be released on September 1, 2009 by St. Martin's Press.