Nearly 1,800 Americans who lost family members in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks told NBC News’ Courtney Kube and Mike Memoli that they are opposing President Biden’s participation in any 9/11 Memorial events this year, unless he honors his pledge to declassify U.S. government evidence, which the families believe implicate Saudi officials in supporting the acts of terrorism. The victims’ family members, first responders, and survivors released statements today calling on Biden to absent himself from the 9/11 20th anniversary events in New York, in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, and at the Pentagon, unless he releases the documents.
Biden promised fulsomely to be more transparent and release as much information as possible under intense pressure from the families, but he has ignored their letters and requests since being elected, NBC News reports. Among the documents the group seeks are supporting evidence found during a widespread FBI investigation into the 9/11 attacks that examined alleged Saudi links, and which was completed in 2016.
The families wrote, “We cannot in good faith, and with veneration to those lost, sick, and injured, welcome the president to our hallowed ground (Shanksville, Pa.), where the passengers fought the Saudis and crashed the hijacked plane. Since the conclusion of the 911 Commission in 2004, a good deal of investigative evidence has been uncovered implicating Saudi government officials in supporting the attacks. Through multiple administrations, the Department of Justice and the FBI have actively sought to keep this information secret, and prevent the American people from learning the full truth about the 911 attacks.”
