More than 3,000 family members of the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks have asked both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump to oppose the Middle East peace agreement with Saudi Arabia until the US government holds the country accountable for any role it may have played. has been played on September 11.
In the letter first obtained by CBS News, the family refers to 1999 video footage from Saudi government agents The “casing” of the US Capitol is evidence of Saudi involvement. “60 Minutes” reported on the video for the first time in June.
“As you campaign to become the next President of the United States, we ask you to pledge that you will not approve a Middle East peace deal involving Saudi Arabia unless it fully addresses the Saudi Arabian government’s role in the 9/11 attacks,” the letter read. “Justice and closure for victims and their families must be a priority in our foreign policy.”
The letter was organized by 9/11 Justice, an organization formed in 2022 to represent the families of victims of terrorist attacks in New York, Virginia and Pennsylvania. The group is suing the Saudi government and pushing the US government to declassify all remaining documents related to 9/11.
The Biden administration has pushing for some agreement between the US and Saudi Arabia that includes defense guarantees and civil nuclear cooperation, as well as one to normalize relations between Saudi Arabia and Israel.
CBS News has contacted the Harris and Trump campaigns about the letter and the family’s plea to oppose the deal.
Fifteen of the 19 al Qaeda hijackers who flew the plane into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania were from Saudi Arabia, but the potential relationship between the Saudi government and terrorists remained shrouded in mystery for years.
In 2016, a lengthy classified portion of the congressional investigation known as the “28 pages” became public for the first time. The investigation found evidence that some of the hijackers “were in contact with, and received support or assistance from, individuals who may have ties to the Saudi Government.”
In September 2021, Mr. Biden issued an executive order aimed at releasing more documents related to 9/11.
Brett Eagleson, the president of Justice 9/11, said that the family is more clear about the role of Saudi Arabia in the terrorist attack after the video of Omar al-Bayoumi, which the FBI called a Saudi intelligence operative, was obtained by British police and unsealed in federal court in June.
Eagleson, whose father was killed in the 9/11 attacks in New York, said he wanted to shine a spotlight on the cause before September 10 presidential debate host of ABC News in Philadelphia.
“These two candidates for office will debate for the highest office in our country, less than a hundred miles away from (New York City), the night before the 23rd anniversary of 9/11,” he said. “We think these are critical issues. We think these two need to be addressed. And we hope this pledge helps us do that.”
As a 2020 presidential candidate, Harris was critical of Saudi Arabia after 2018 killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggiand support a 2019 Senate bill calling for a public report on this. In an August 2019 questionnaire from the Council on Foreign Relations, Harris said the Saudis have been a “strong partner” on counterterrorism but said the U.S. needs to “reevaluate our relationship” and “we (e) our leverage to protect American values and interests.” .”
Trump was first sworn in “severe punishment” for Saudi Arabia that the country was behind the murder of Khashoggi in 2018, but soon changed its tone and often emphasized the importance of the US-Saudi relationship.
“(W)e may not know all the facts about the murder of Mr. Jamal Khashoggi. In any case, our relationship is with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. They have been a great ally in the very important war against Iran,” he said in a statement in November 2018. The US intelligence community finished that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was behind the assassination, which he denied.
In July, the Trump Organization announced plans to build a new tower in Saudi Arabia, and spoke to the crown prince earlier this year, according to the New York Times. Trump has repeatedly mentioned it Abraham Accords he signed in September 2020, which aims to normalize relations between Israel, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
9/11 Justice has criticized Trump for hosting the Saudi-backed LIV Golf Tour on him Bedminister golf club in New Jersey in 2022. Trump defended the tournament’s hosts, saying, “I’ve known these people in Saudi Arabia and they’ve been my friends for a long time.” Their clubs have hosted several LIV events over the years.
President Biden’s proposed bilateral deal between the US and Saudi Arabia requires ratification by the Senate, which is unlikely before Congress adjourns for the fall campaign season.
“If there is a peace deal that the United States has to do and an arms sale or a collective security agreement, nothing should happen until Saudi Arabia addresses and takes responsibility for what it did 23 years ago,” Eagleson said.
Members of the 9/11 Justice group were also active until the 2020 election, before the group was formed. He met with Trump in September 2019 to push for the declassification of 9/11 documents to help civil lawsuits against the Saudi government, despite Attorney General Bill Barr invoking state secrets privilege to keep the documents from being seen.
Mr. Biden also interacted with some of the group’s members during his candidacy. As lawyers representing family members of 9/11 victims are in the midst of a lawsuit against Saudi Arabia, Mr. Biden sent a letter to his lawyers in October 2020 criticizing the Trump administration’s move to request privilege over documents related to 9/11.
Mr. Biden added that he would direct the attorney general to review each case where the privilege was suggested, and that he “erred on the side of disclosure” when the incident occurred two decades ago.
