The pages show no officials links between the Saudi government and the hijackers who killed almost 3,000 people in NY. Conspiracy theorists have tried to get the pages released, hoping that the pages would shed new light on the terror plot and perhaps finger new perpetrators.
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Former Senator Bob Graham displays the 28 blacked-out pages of a US government report on 9/11 in June 2015. The Bush administration claimed the decision was to protect the methods and sources of United States intelligence. He’s been a longtime advocate for the pages’ release. “No evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded al Qaida”, said Earnest. According to Federal Bureau of Investigation data, the firm “manages the affairs of the Colorado residence of Prince Bandar (bin Sultan)”, who served as Saudi ambassador to Washington at the time.
In response, Saudi Ambassador to the U.S.
One at least one occasion Bassnan received a check directly from Prince Bandar’s account. “We have our first indications that some money actually flowed directly from Bandar to Bassnan”, McGlinchey said. According to the document, Baseman also cashed a check from Bandar for $15,000.
Former president George W. Bush had ordered that part of the report be classified.
However, in releasing the information, the USA says no links between the Saudi government and the hijackers have been independently verified.
The 28-page release was anticipated based on a report from CNN that cited sources and a comment from Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) who said the release would come soon and that the House Intelligence Committee was to receive the pages on Thursday or Friday. The U.S. refused, and the Saudis didn’t find the man.
Former President George W. Bush classified the chapter to protect intelligence sources and methods, although he also probably did not want to upset USA relations with Saudi Arabia, a close US ally.
House intelligence committee Chairman Devin Nunes said that while he supported the release, “it’s important to note that this section does not put forward vetted conclusions, but rather unverified leads that were later fully investigated by the intelligence community”.
The 28 pages also discuss the role Mr. Thumairy is suspected to have played in 9/11, along with a number of other likely connections between Al-Qaeda operatives and Saudi officials in the September 11 attacks.
The documents implicate several Saudi nationals in the planning and funding of the attacks but don’t appear to provide a definitive link to the nation’s government – as officials who had previously seen the documents have maintained.
A September 11 families group made clear the pages’ release would not stop their push for the legislation.
“The bottom line is it’s not true that these were aggressively pursued because people didn’t want these leads aggressively pursued”, he said.
Bush originally classified the chapter to protect intelligence sources and methods and perhaps to avoid upsetting Saudi Arabia, a close USA ally.
Worries that declassifying the pages could hurt intelligence were “unfounded”, according to Lynch, who said the real reason for classification was to preserve a good relationship with Saudi Arabia and preserve the standing of intelligence agencies.
“The matter is now finished”, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told a news conference in Washington. “They will show everyone that there is no there, there”.
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But McGlinchey said the supposed transparency was a political move. “Are they truly an ally or are they going to throw us under the bus when it is convenient for them to do so?” said Graham.
