Joe Biden Set To Declassify 9/11 Terror Attack Documents
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President Joe Biden has signed an executive order directing the FBI to declassify documents related to the 9/11 attacks.
The move comes ahead of the 20th anniversary of the terrorist attacks that killed almost 3,000 people, with some families of the victims arguing against Biden’s involvement in memorial events should the documents remain classified.
In a statement released on Friday, September 3, the president noted that during his presidential campaign he ‘made a commitment to ensuring transparency regarding the declassification of documents on the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on America’.
He announced he is ‘honouring that commitment’ with the signing of the executive order and pledged his administration will ‘continue to engage respectfully with members of this community’.
Per Sky News, the order states:
The significant events in question occurred two decades ago or longer, and they concern a tragic moment that continues to resonate in American history and in the lives of so many Americans.
It is therefore critical to ensure that the United States Government maximises transparency, relying on classification only when narrowly tailored and necessary.
In signing the order, Biden has directed the Justice Department and other executive branch agencies to review documents from the FBI’s probe into the attacks and to make the declassified documents public over the next six months.
The decision to declassify the documents comes after a years-long fight between the government and members of the public regarding the documents, with families of victims reportedly seeking the information in hopes of implicating the Saudi government.
Brett Eagleson, whose father died during the attack on the World Trade Center, said he and other families will be monitoring the process to make sure the Justice Department follows through with the order.
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