FBI to review more 9/11 records for possible public release
NEW YORK - The U.S. Justice Department said it intends to provide families of the victims of the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, with more information about the lead-up to that day in connection with a federal lawsuit seeking to hold the government of Saudi Arabia accountable, according to a two-page letter filed in federal court in Manhattan on Monday.
The families of the victims have criticized the federal government dating back to the Bush administration for withholding information about the terrorist attacks in the name of national security.
And hundreds of those families, victims, and first responders in a letter are telling President Joe Biden that he is not welcome at the 20th-anniversary memorial events if the feds don't declassify certain documents.
"The group sent a letter that said you are persona non grata, you are not welcome and neither is anyone else in your administration to any of the 20th-anniversary ceremonies commemorating 9/11," said Charles G. Wolf, whose wife, Katherine, was killed when the first plane hit the World Trade Center.
Wolf is one of more than 1,800 people who signed the letter to the president. Biden, while on the campaign trail, had promised 9/11 families he would press for the release of the documents.
"We're telling him no, we're not putting up with this, we're not putting up with any cover-up for the Saudis," Wolf said. "We want the documents and we want them now."
It appears the pressure from the families and survivors is working.
The FBI recently concluded an investigation, referred to as the "Subfile Investigation," that examined certain 9/11 hijackers and potential co-conspirators, the Justice Department said in the letter filed in court.
"The FBI will disclose such information on a rolling basis as expeditiously as possible," the department wrote.
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Biden praised the decision.
"I welcome the Department of Justice's filing today, which commits to conducting a fresh review of documents where the government has previously asserted privileges, and to doing so as quickly as possible," Biden said in a statement.
Wolf and others close to the 9/11 attacks said the Justice Department has had years to review the documents.
"This is nothing but a delay tactic," Wolf said. "We need those documents now."
One of the reflecting pools at the 9/11 Memorial in New York City. (FOX 5 NY/Arun Kristian Das)
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said last week that Biden officials are committed to honoring the families' request.
"The White House Office of Public Engagement and the National Security Council Staff have had several meetings with groups representing the families of those who perished on 9/11 regarding their document requests," she said, "and to hear their thoughts on policy priorities, that will continue to be a priority."
The families have been fighting for these documents under the last three presidential administrations. In 2019, under President Donald Trump, then-Attorney General William Barr declared that the documents should stay classified to protect national security.
The Saudi government has denied any connection to the attacks. U.S. officials have investigated ties between Saudi nationals and some of the airplane hijackers but have not established that the Saudi government was directly involved.
With The Associated Press.