9/11 families ask Biden not to attend memorial events without release of documents

Families of victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks released a statement on Friday telling President Biden not to attend any memorial events unless the administration declassifies documents regarding Saudi Arabia’s role in the deadly attacks.

The statement, which also includes survivors and first responders, points to remarks Biden made as a then-presidential candidate in October, saying his administration would aim to be more transparent regarding the 9/11 attacks.

“We cannot in good faith, and with veneration to those lost, sick, and injured, welcome the president to our hallowed grounds until he fulfills his commitment,” reads the statement, which was obtained by The Hill.

“Twenty years later, there is simply no reason — unmerited claims of ‘national security’ or otherwise — to keep this information secret,” the group said in their statement.

“But if President Biden reneges on his commitment and sides with the Saudi government, we would be compelled to publicly stand in objection to any participation by his administration in any memorial ceremony of 9/11, given its continuation of policies that thwart Americans’ rights to hold accountable those who, known evidence reveals, materially supported the 9/11 hijackers,” the group continued.

The statement was first reported by NBC News.

The 9/11 families are specifically interested in documentation regarding whether any of the individuals associated with al Qaeda who carried out the violent attacks received help or financing from Saudi Arabia.

Among the documentation that the group is interested in is information related to an FBI investigation that was completed in 2016 that investigated possible ties between the Middle Eastern country and the 9/11 attacks, NBC News reported.

Saudi Arabia, for its part, has denied allegations that it was involved in the attacks, the news outlet reported.

The group wrote that since the 9/11 Commission concluded in 2004, there has been evidence found “implicating Saudi government officials in supporting the attacks.” The group said that several administrations in addition to the FBI and Department of Justice were actively trying to keep the information from Americans “and prevent the American people from learning the full truth about the 9/11 attacks.”

According to NBC News, the last three administrations cited national security concerns in their reasoning to decline declassifying documentation.

A request for comment from NBC News was not returned by the White House.

The Hill has reached out to the White House for comment.