U.S. Congress Releases Secret 9/11 28 Page Document Detailing Possible Saudi Ties to Al Qaeda

CNN: Congress releases secret '28 pages' on alleged Saudi 9/11 ties

Washington (CNN)A long-classified U.S. report released Friday found that some of the 9/11 hijackers were in contact with and received support from individuals likely connected to the Saudi government.

Known as the "28 pages," the secret document was part of a 2002 congressional investigation of the Sept. 11 attacks and has been classified since the report's completion, despite repeated calls for its release. The document actually contains 29 pages of material plus a letter from then-CIA Director George Tenet.

"While in the United States, some of the September 11 hijackers were in contact with, and received support or assistance from, individuals who may be connected to the Saudi Government," the document says.

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WNU Editor: The 28 pages are here.

More News On The U.S. Congress Releasing The Secret 9/11 28 Page Document Detailing Possible Saudi Ties to Al Qaeda

Long-classified section of U.S. 9/11 report made public -- Reuters
Congress' "28 pages" on Saudi ties to 9/11 released -- CBS/AP
Congress Releases Secret 9/11 Document Detailing Possible Saudi Ties to Al Qaeda -- NYT
US Declassifies Secret 9/11 Documents Known as the '28 Pages' -- ABC News
US government releases secret chapter from 9/11 report -- FOX News
9/11 Attackers May Have Had Saudi Help, Classified Report Says -- Bloomberg
Declassified 9/11 pages show ties to former Saudi ambassador to USA -- USA Today
Congress releases long-secret '28 pages' indicating Saudi ties to 9/11 -- RT
White House Does Not Think 9/11 Report Sheds Light on Saudi Role in Attack -- Sputnik
The Missing 28 Pages -- J. Weston Phippen and Matt Vasilogambros, The Atlantic

White House To Release The Still Secret 28 Pages On Alleged Saudi ties To 9/11 In The Coming Days

The second tower of the World Trade Center explodes into flames after being hit by a airplane, New York September 11, 2001 with the Brooklyn bridge in the foreground. Photo: Reuters

CNN: 28 pages on alleged Saudi ties to 9/11 to be released as soon as Friday

(CNN)The long-classified pages detailing alleged Saudi Arabia government ties to the 9/11 hijackers will be released by Congress as early as Friday, sources told CNN Thursday.

Known as the "28 pages," the document was part of a 2002 Congressional investigation of the Sept. 11 attacks and has been classified since the report's completion.

Sources said there are still some procedural steps that need to be taken before the release.

Rep. Adam Schiff, a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said the report will be posted on line soon.

"The House Intelligence Committee will get the redacted report today or tomorrow," Schiff said. "The Senate and House intel committees should then give the formal go ahead to release the report since they originally produced it."

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Update #1: 9/11 report: Secret 28 pages showing possible Saudi links 'to be released in days' (The Independent)
Update #2: Classified pages on alleged Saudi ties to 9/11 attacks to be released (New York Post)

WNU Editor: I do not expect any surprises, but I will posting it when it becomes available.

The U.S. Government's 'File 17' Implicates Three Dozen Saudis Who Knew The 9/11 Hijackers

© Shannon Stapleton / Reuters

RT: File 17: Fresh documents hint at possible Saudi ties to 9/11 hijackers

The US government has declassified a report that lists more than three dozen people that investigators looking into the 9/11 terrorist attacks wanted to probe for possible links from Saudi Arabia to the hijackers.
Trends

The document, known as “File 17,” was compiled by Dana Lesemann and Michael Jacobson. It offers clues as to what may be hidden in the secret 28 pages of the congressional report on the 9/11 attacks, which is rumored to implicate the Saudis.

“Much of the information upon which File 17 was written was based on what’s in the 28 pages,” former Democratic Senator Bob Graham of Florida told the AP.

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Update: Report showing possible Saudi connection to 9/11 still hidden (New York Post).

WNU Editor: The AP report is here .... File 17 is glimpse into still-secret 28 pages about 9/11 (AP)

CIA Director John Brennan Tells Saudi TV 'Al Arabiya' That There Is No Proof Of Saudi Involvement In 9/11

CIA Director John Brennan speaks at the Overseas Security Advisory Council's (OSAC) 30th annual briefing at the State Department in Washington November 18, 2015. REUTERS/KEVIN LAMARQUE

Al Arabiya: CIA: ‘No proof of Saudi involvement in Sept. 11’

CIA director John Brennan told Al Arabiya News Channel's Washington Bureau Chief Nadia Bilbassy-Charters in an exclusive interview on Saturday that “there was no evidence” of a Saudi involvement in the 9/11 attacks.

His remarks came after a 28-page congressional investigatory report claimed that there were proofs Saudi officials had supported al-Qaeda in the run-up to the attacks.

In May, John Lehman, a member of the Sept. 11 commission, told CNN that the classified contained evidence that as many as six Saudi officials supported Al-Qaeda.

But Brennan, in his first interview with an Arab media outlet, dismissed the claim.

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More News On CIA Director John Brennan Telling Saudi TV 'Al Arabiya' That There Is No Proof Of Saudi Involvement In 9/11

CIA Director: We have excellent cooperation with Saudi (Full Video) -- Al Arabiya
Full transcript of Al Arabiya’s interview with CIA director John Brennan -- Al Arabiya
CIA chief expects release of 9/11 documents to clear Saudi Arabia -- Reuters
CIA chief John Brennan says secret 9/11 report not evidence of Saudi complicity -- AFP
Saudi Arabia set to be absolved of responsibility in 9/11 in secret report, CIA chief says -- Daily Mail
CIA chief believes release of 9/11 documents will clear Saudi Arabia -- FOX News
CIA director John Brennan expects release of 9/11 documents to clear Saudi Arabia -- The Independent
CIA director expects, supports release of 9/11 report pages -- The Hill
CIA Chief Believes Release Of 28 Classified Pages From 9/11 Report Will Absolve Saudi Arabia -- IBTimes
Classified 9/11 report pages contain no evidence against Saudis, says CIA chief -- RT

U.S. Director of National Intelligence: 'Preliminary Decision On Releasing The Remaining 9/11 Report Expected Next Week'

Nominee for Director of National Intelligence retired Gen. James Clapper speaks alongside President Barack Obama in the White House Rose Garden Saturday June 5. Newscom

The Hill: Preliminary decision on secret 9/11 pages expected this week

The nation’s top intelligence official will tell the White House this week whether or not he supports declassifying 28 secret pages from a congressional inquiry into the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, he told lawmakers on Tuesday evening.

Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.), one of two sitting House lawmakers and a former senator to attend the 50-minute meeting, appeared hopeful that Director of National Intelligence James Clapper would move to declassify the 28 pages, which are believed to detail suspected links between the government of Saudi Arabia and the al Qaeda hijackers.

“He is going to, at the end of the week, send his recommendation to the White House,” Jones told The Hill in an interview in the Capitol on Wednesday.

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WNU Editor: A preliminary decision ?!?!? The decision is either a yes or no .... and if yes the next point that needs to be discussed is when will it be released. But "preliminary" .... what does that mean?

This Former U.S. Senator Wants To Release The Missing 28 Pages Of The 9/11 Report

Eleanor Clift, Daily Beast: Inside a Senator’s Crusade to Release the Missing 28 Pages of the 9/11 Report

Former senator Bob Graham is on a mission to get the missing 28 pages from a congressional 9/11 investigation released. His biggest obstacle so far? The FBI.

Former Florida senator Bob Graham caused a stir when he used the term “aggressive deception” to describe the FBI’s treatment of 28 pages from a 2003 congressional inquiry into the 9/11 attacks.

The word choice was intentional, the co-chair of the investigation of the 9/11 terrorist attacks told The Daily Beast, because to Graham, what the FBI did was worse than the conventional Washington cover up.

“Cover up is a fairly passive action. You put something away and keep it out of the vision of other people who might wish to see it,” Graham explained. “Aggressive deception is where you try to change the narrative in an untruthful way, and then you keep the material that would provide the truth away from the people. So the only thing they see and are exposed to is the false narrative.”

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WNU Editor: Former Florida senator Bob Graham has been pushing for this release for a long time. I wish him luck, but the institution of government is against him.

9/11 Commission Member Believes Saudi Officials Supported The 9/11 Hijackers

The Guardian: Saudi officials were 'supporting' 9/11 hijackers, commission member says

First serious public split revealed among commissioners over the release of the secret ‘28 pages’ that detail Saudi ties to 2001 terrorist attacks.

A former Republican member of the 9/11 commission, breaking dramatically with the commission’s leaders, said Wednesday he believes there was clear evidence that Saudi government employees were part of a support network for the 9/11 hijackers and that the Obama administration should move quickly to declassify a long-secret congressional report on Saudi ties to the 2001 terrorist attack.

The comments by John F Lehman, an investment banker in New York who was Navy secretary in the Reagan administration, signal the first serious public split among the 10 commissioners since they issued a 2004 final report that was largely read as an exoneration of Saudi Arabia, which was home to 15 of the 19 hijackers on 9/11.

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WNU Editor: To add fuel to the fire .... The FBI Is Keeping 80,000 Secret Files on the Saudis and 9/11 (Daily Beast).

More News On 9/11 Commission Member John F Lehman Claiming That Saudi Officials Supported The 9/11 Hijackers

'Saudi Arabian government officials supported September 11 hijackers,' former 9/11 Commission member claims -- The Independent
9/11 Commission member claims Saudi government officials supported hijackers -- The Telegraph
Saudi Arabia ‘supported’ 9/11 hijackers: Commission member -- Press TV
9/11 commission bombshell: Saudi officials supported attackers, says panel member -- Salon

CIA Director: '28 Classified Pages' From The 9/11 Commision Report Is Inaccurate

The Hill: CIA director: '28 pages' contain inaccurate information

CIA Director John Brennan said Sunday that releasing the 28 classified pages from the 9/11 Commission report would be a mistake because they contain inaccurate, un-vetted information that could be used to tie Saudi Arabia to the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.

"This chapter was kept out because of concerns about sensitive methods, investigative actions, and the investigation of 9/11 was still underway in 2002," Brennan said on NBC's "Meet the Press."

He said information in the 28 pages hasn't been vetted or corroborated, adding that releasing the information would give ammunition to those who want to tie the terror attacks to Saudi Arabia.

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More News On CIA Director John Brennan Insisting That The 28 Pages From The 9/11 Report Be Kept Secret

CIA Chief on ISIS: Not Just an Organization, 'It's a Phenomenon' -- NBC
CIA Director John Brennan says a 28-page secret chapter from a congressional inquiry into 9/11 contains preliminary information about possible Saudi links to the attackers that hadn't been corroborated or checked out at the time -- AP
CIA director says the 28 classified pages from 9/11 report contains 'uncorroborated, un-vetted' and 'very inaccurate' information about Saudi Arabia's role in terror attack -- Daily Mail
CIA Director John Brennan says documents that could link Saudi Arabia to 9/11 terrorists should be kept classified -- NYD News
CIA Chief: 'No Evidence' of Saudi Backing of 9/11 Attacks -- VOA
CIA Director: Missing 9/11 Report Pages Contain ‘Inaccurate’ Information -- Huffington Post

White House May Release Part Of The 9/11 Report That Is Still Classified As Top Secret

Esquire: The White House Is Likely Going to Release a Secret Chapter from a 9/11 Investigation

​The classified pages purportedly implicate Saudi Arabia.​

President Barack Obama has been under pressure to release 28 pages of a secret chapter from a joint congressional inquiry into the attacks on September 11, 2001. The chapter in question investigated potential links between Saudi Arabia and the 9/11 attackers. According to reports, the Obama Administration will release the pages soon.

"The 28 pages primarily relate to who financed 9/11, and they point a very strong finger at Saudi Arabia as being the principal financier," former Sen. Bob Graham said in February.

The documents have been stored in a secure room in the Capitol since the joint congressional inquiry into the attacks concluded.

Our own Charlie Pierce penned a column calling for their release on April 18, writing, "A vital part of [the history of September 11] remains hidden away in a locked room, the final bit of our common history hidden away for fear of inconveniencing a medievalist regime that has the gall to threaten the one country that has guaranteed its safety against its bellicose neighborhood."

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Update: White House poised to release secret pages from 9/11 inquiry -- AP

WNU Editor: The White House will be making its final decision on releasing these papers in June.

Was Saudi Arabia Behind 9/11?

Zero Hedge: Was Saudi Arabia Behind 9/11: These 28 Pages Have The Answer

Is it sensitive Steve, might it involve opening a bit of can of worms, or some snakes crawling out of there, yes.

That's how the latest "60 Minutes" segment ended on Sunday.

The comment was in reference to the final chapter of a Congressional investigative report into 9/11 that has been left out of the report due to it being classified. The congressional investigative report is a report that was completed and handed over to the 9/11 commission, who ultimately produced the final "official" report.

The 28 pages that were classified have only been seen by a select few, and allegedly have to do with details around the existence of a possible Saudi support system for the hijackers while they were in the US among other implications of official Saudi involvement.

The push to declassify the documents is being led by then Chairman of the Senate Select Committe on Intelligence, former Senator Bob Grahm (D-FL), who has been a strong advocate of the documents being declassified since the Bush administration classified them due to matters of national security back in 2003.

Point blank, the Democratic senator said the hijackers were "substantially" supported by Saudi government, as well as charities and wealthy people in that country.

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Update: '60 Minutes': Classified '28 pages' may shed light on Saudi ties to terrorism (The Hill).

WNU Editor: It has been almost 15 years since 9/11 .... time to declassify the report.

Is A New 9/11 Commission Needed?

Image: Wikimedia Commons/James Tourtellotte, U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

James Jay Carafano, National Interest: Why a New 9/11 Commission Is Needed

Terrorism has come to look very different from what confronted the West over a decade ago.

Most ad hoc commissions come and go without a trace. Not so, the 9/11 Commission. Its final report became a national bestseller. Its findings served as the touchstone for explaining what happened on that dreadful day the terrorists went after New York City and Washington, D.C. Even more important, the report framed the argument of where the nation should go from here.

More than ten years have passed since then. Is it time to assemble another commission?

WNU Editor: Would such a commission make a difference? Considering how divided Washington and the American public is at the moment .... I doubt that producing a non-partisan report is even possible.

CIA Unwilling To Give Special Operations Commandos The Lead For All Covert Military Action

Military, CIA Shun 9/11 Panel On Covert Operations -- Washington Times

Special-ops lead urged in report.

The U.S. military and the CIA failed to agree on implementing a key recommendation of the commission that investigated the 9/11 terrorist attacks: Give special-operations commandos the lead for all covert military action.

The 9/11 Commission ordered the shift in response to concerns that CIA covert action — a mainstay of the agency’s World War II predecessor, the Office of Strategic Services — had “atrophied.” The agency also had a “risk averse” approach to spying and semisecret military activities.

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My Comment: It appears that some officials want to protect their turf .... and with no direction from their political masters (who always try their best to avoid being accountable for their decisions) .... we now have an impasse that should not be there at all.