WASHINGTON, D.C. – On June 2nd, Senator Rand Paul stood with family members of victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks as he announced new bipartisan legislation that would force President Obama to declassify 28 pages of the Senate investigation into the attacks.
Senator Paul was joined at the press conference by Terry Strada, National Chair of the 9/11 Families and Survivors United For Justice Against Terrorism, who lost her daughter Kaitlyn Strada, and Abraham Scott, husband of a victim. Also present were U.S. Representatives Walter Jones (R-NC), Stephen F. Lynch (D-MA), and Thomas Massie (R-KY) and former U.S. Senator Bob Graham (D-FL).
The Transparency for the Families of 9/11 Victims and Survivors Act of 2015 was co-sponsored by Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). The bill marks the latest attempt at revealing what the Bush and Obama Administrations have been hiding within the 28 pages of the report, officially known as the Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities Before and After the Terrorist Attacks of September 2001.
“I stand with my colleagues today to call for the release of the final 28 pages of the 9/11 Congressional Inquiry,” Paul said. “I firmly believe the family members of the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks have the right to know the details surrounding the tragedies that occurred on that sad day.” Paul will reportedly push for a vote on the bill as an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act of 2016.
Senator Paul has already become unpopular in the Republican Party for his challenging of the Patriot Act. Bringing the 9/11 attacks to the forefront will not likely win him any more Republican friends. More importantly, Paul’s support of declassifying the pages might help bring the role of Saudi Arabia in financing the 9/11 attacks into the presidential debate.
“Information revealed over the years does raise questions about [Saudi Arabia’s] support, or whether their support might have been supportive to these Al Qaeda terrorists,” Paul said at the press conference. “We can not let page after page of blanked-out documents be obscured behind a veil, leading these families to wonder if there is additional information surrounding these horrible acts.”
Former Senator Graham once again asserted that the release of the documents “will cause the American government to reconsider the nature of our relationship with Saudi Arabia.”
“Nearly every significant element that led to the attacks of Sept. 11 points to Saudi Arabia,” said Terry Strada.
The claim is echoed by Massie, Graham and others who have seen the 28 pages. Despite the claims the Saudi government denies any involvement and remains a crucial ally to the United States government.
In April, Saudi Arabia asked a judge to reject a lawsuit from the families of the 9/11 victims. Lawyers representing Saudi Arabia filed papers in a Manhattan federal court claiming that no evidence exists linking the nation to the attacks. The family members of the 9/11 victims point to testimony from the so-called 20th hijacker, Zacarias Moussaoui, as evidence that Saudi Arabia did not cut ties to al-Qaeda members in 1994.
As we approach the 14th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks we should see Senator Rand Paul’s new legislation as an opportunity to remind the American people why questioning the official narrative of the terror attacks remains imperative.
For 5 more reasons to question the 9/11 attacks see this article from Truth In Media.
Ben Swann reports on the 9/11 terror attacks and the ReThink 9/11 Campaign:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A7tSfwkKaUo