Democratic senators increase pressure to declassify 9/11 documents related to Saudi role in attacks

Democratic senators and families of victims of the 9/11 attacks called on Thursday for the Biden administration to declassify and make available key documents related to Saudi Arabia’s role in the terrorist attacks, ahead of the 20th anniversary commemorating the tragedy.

Standing outside the Capitol, Sen. Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) rejected reasoning that has been invoked by both Democratic and Republican White House administrations to withhold information related to Riyadh’s role in the attacks under the guise of national security.

“Let's get real here: We're talking about the declassification of evidence relating to an attack that took place 20 years ago — and not just any attack, an attack that claimed nearly 3,000 American lives,” said Menendez, who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

“If the United States government is sitting on any documents that may implicate Saudi Arabia or any individual or any country in the events of Sept. 11, these families, and the American people, have a right to know.”

Menendez and Blumenthal are co-sponsors of the September 11th Transparency Act of 2021. The bill, introduced Thursday, would require the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) to oversee a full declassification review of the government’s investigation of the 9/11 attacks.

Families of the victims of the 9/11 attacks are seeking government documents related to Saudi Arabia’s role in aiding or financing any of the 19 individuals associated with the terrorist group al Qaeda and who carried out the devastating attack on the twin towers of the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan, the Pentagon, and the downing in Pennsylvania of a hijacked flight.

The families are party to a lawsuit against Saudi Arabia alleging Riyadh’s involvement in organizing the attack and are calling out the Department of Justice and the FBI for continuing to block the release of key intelligence related to the Kingdom’s connection under the guise of the “states secret privilege.”

“These families have mounted a legal struggle against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and now their struggle is not only against the Saudis, it is against their own government that is continuing to conceal evidence necessary for them to have that fair day in court,” said Blumenthal, a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee.

“There has been no explanation or justification for their invoking classification, or the [State Secrets Protection Act]. And let me just be very blunt, embarrassment to the Saudi government is not a legal justification,” he added.

The bill has the backing of Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and at least two Republican co-sponsors, Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa).

Schumer, speaking at the press conference on Thursday, said that he would “fight as hard as I can to see that this outstanding piece of legislation becomes law.”

“I don't care what the relationship is with Saudi Arabia or any other country. If they did something that is bad and horrible, that should be brought to account,” Schumer said.

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https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/566547-democratic-senators-increase-pressure-to-declassify-9-11-documents

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Schumer further recounted visiting ground zero of the collapsed twin towers in the aftermath of the attack along with then-New York Democratic Sen. Hillary Clinton.

“Before we even got to the rubble we could smell the death in the air, where thousands of people standing in line, holding pictures … ‘Have you seen my daughter, Mary, have you seen my brother, John,’” the senator recounted. “I'll never forget that.”

Families of the victims of the 9/11 attacks expressed deep frustration and anger at the federal government for ongoing obstruction in making available information for their case against Saudi Arabia, warning of “shallow” words to never forget the atrocities of that day as the 20th anniversary approaches.

“They stand up and utter words, 'never forget,' but the administration, behind a cloak of secrecy, continues to stab us in the back,” said Brett Eagleson, National Co-Chair of 9/11 Community United and whose father died in the twin towers.

“It's a sad truth to know that the United States government values foreign interests more than its own citizens.”

Yet the families, advocates and senators expressed home that the legislation, the 9/11 Transparency Act, will spur the administration to respond.

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“Twenty years is far too long to go for anybody, for us especially but for Americans in general, to go without knowing the truth,” Eagleson said.

“It's nauseating, and it's painful, and it's difficult, but we are so proud to stand with our champions and our supporters, and I think we're close and I think we're going to get there,” he continued.

“And I have all the confidence in the world that we're finally going to cross the finish line on the 20th year anniversary. The families can finally get the closure that they deserve.”

John Solomon | Just The News

Families of victims from 9/11 tell Biden not to attend events unless he releases information

Families of 9/11 victims have told President Biden not to attend any of their memorial events unless he declassifies information on Saudi Arabia's role in the terrorist attack that killed nearly 3,000 on U.S. soil 20 years ago.

The call for declassification comes after Biden as a candidate had promised to be more transparent when it came to the Sept. 11, 2001, attack and the role of Saudi Arabian leaders.

“We cannot in good faith, and with veneration to those lost, sick, and injured, welcome the president to our hallowed grounds until he fulfills his commitment,” the family members wrote in a statement, obtained by NBC News.

The family members allege that the U.S. government, including Biden, is keeping information about the attacks secret that would show Saudi Arabian leaders were supportive of the attacks, in which terrorist highjacked four planes – slamming two into the World Trade Center towers in New York City and one into the Pentagon, outside of Washington, D.C. Passengers downed the fourth in a field in the Shanksville, Pa., area.

The 9/11 commission report found Saudi Arabia had been a problematic ally when it came to sharing secrets, but did not find any evidence that tied Saudi leaders to the attacks. The Saudi government has denied any role in the attacks.

“The Commission staff found no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or as individual senior officials knowingly support or supported al Qaeda; however, a lack of awareness of the problem and a failure to conduct oversight over institutions created an environment in which such activity has flourished,” the report said.

A White House spokesperson on Friday said the Office of Public Engagement and the National Security Council staff have met with family members of 9/11 victims to discuss their document requests. The spokesperson also said Biden has vowed to bring the request to the Justice Department, NBC News reports.

https://justthenews.com/government/federal-agencies/families-victims-911-tell-biden-not-attend-events-unless-he-releases

Cernovich

Has anyone actually been charged with the criminal offense of insurrection?

Scott MacFarlane @MacFarlaneNews · 8h

OK… small breakthrough here.

US Justice Dept is requesting 2-month prison sentence for one of the (growing number) of Jan 6 defendants who are pleading guilty to the lower-level misdemeanor of "unlawful parading"

Robert Reeder of Maryland

6:29 PM · Aug 6, 2021

https://twitter.com/Cernovich/status/1423773148042858499

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