Former intel committee head: No reason to keep 9/11 report classified
Rep Pete Hoekstra (R-MI) says the top secret “28 pages” left out of the 9/11 Commission need to be declassifiedhttps://t.co/SjMQBzNWPW
— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) April 22, 2016
The former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee says there’s no reason the classified section of the 9/11 Commission report should be kept from the public any longer.
“I don’t see any reason why at this point, 12, 13 years later, 15 years after 9/11, why the American people should not have full access to this data,” former Rep. Pete Hoekstra (R-Mich.) said on “Fox & Friends” on Friday morning.
{mosads}The White House has said it does not intend to declassify the section, known as the “28 pages,” which many believe discusses the possible existence of a Saudi support network for the hijackers involved in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.
House and Senate lawmakers are backing a bill that would let families of 9/11 victims sue foreign states that helped fund or support terrorist attacks in the U.S.
In response to that legislation, which President Obama has lobbied against, the Saudi government threatened to sell off hundreds of billions of dollars’ worth of American assets.
Saudi officials have long denied any role in the terror plot, and the 9/11 Commission report found no evidence the government was involved.
However, critics say the vague wording left open the possibility that less senior officials or other parts of the Saudi government could have played a role.
Former Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla.), who helped author the initial commission report, also supports releasing the 28 pages. He says the hijackers were “substantially” supported by the Saudi government, as well as charities and wealthy people in the country.
While Obama visited Saudi Arabia this week, it’s not known whether he discussed the pages with the government, though administration officials did say he “really cleared the air” with King Salman at a meeting Wednesday.
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