Biden DOJ Reviews Documents for Release

The Justice Department on Monday pledged to re-examine the files related to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 for possible public disclosure, after years of pressure from the families of the victims to disclose information about the alleged role of Saudi government officials.

The Justice Department did not specify what documents or information could be released once the review is complete.

The move comes just days after nearly 1,800 9/11 survivors, first responders and family members of the victims called on President Joe Biden to ignore commemorative events this year unless he issues FBI documents detailing the alleged role of Saudi government officials in the deadly attacks.

It also comes a month before the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people at the World Trade Center in New York, the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania.

Biden praised the Justice Department’s decision.

“As I promised during my campaign, my administration is committed to ensuring maximum transparency under the law and to adhere to the stringent guidelines issued under the Obama-Biden administration on invoking the privilege of secrecy. of state, “Biden said in a statement. “In this vein, I welcome the filing of the Department of Justice today.”

The Justice Department’s decision comes following a federal lawsuit in the Southern District of New York by the families of the 9/11 victims against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

The Justice Department, in a filing on Monday, noted that the FBI had recently closed an investigation focused on individuals who may have provided substantial assistance to the 9/11 hijackers.

The FBI will review its previous decisions to withhold information and identify additional information appropriate for disclosure, according to the filing.

“The FBI will continuously release this information as quickly as possible,” Justice Department officials said in the filing.

Organizations representing the families of September 11 victims, including Peaceful Tomorrows and the September 11 Families Association, did not immediately respond to the comments.

Biden campaigned on a promise to provide 9/11 survivors and their families with more transparency about unpublished documents the government has on the attacks.

Survivors, first responders and the families of the victims argued on Friday that Biden had failed to live up to his words. They also previously claimed that there were up to 25,000 pages of 9/11-related documents that had been hidden from them.

“We cannot, in good faith and with reverence for the lost, sick and injured, welcome the president to our sacred lands until he fulfills his pledge,” they wrote in a statement Friday.

Brett Eagleson, whose father was killed in the World Trade Center attack, told CNN on Friday that the group specifically wanted documents revealing information about the Saudi government’s alleged role.

“The administration, behind a veil of secrecy, continues to stab us in the back,” Eagleson said.

The Commission’s investigation into 9/11, which ended in 2004, found that it was likely that Saudi government-funded charities supported the terrorist attacks but did not report evidence of direct government funding.

The group of survivors and family members claim that more recent FBI documents, such as a 2016 investigation into Saudi Arabia, would reveal whether individuals associated with al-Qaeda, the group that carried out the attacks terrorists, have received aid or funding from Saudi Arabia. government.

Fifteen of the 19 attackers of the 9/11 attacks were Saudi citizens, and the mastermind Osama Bin Laden was born in Saudi Arabia. The Saudi government has denied allegations he was involved.

Several presidential administrations withheld documents related to the attacks, citing security concerns. More recently, the Trump administration invoked state secret privilege in 2019 to justify maintaining classified documents.