A bipartisan group of lawmakers on Capitol Hill are pressuring the White House to declassify 28 pages of the 9/11 Commission Report that have been rumored to detail an investigation into alleged ties between Saudi Arabia and Al-Qaeda.
These pages have been classified since the original report was released during the presidency of George W. Bush, and President Barack Obama has so far declined to declassify them. While it’s unclear exactly what the contents of the documents are, several current and former lawmakers who have read the pages say they illustrate links between the Saudi government and some of the terrorists responsible for attacking the World Trade Center and Pentagon back in 2001.
Although the bill urging President Obama to release the 28 pages – known as House Resolution 14 – was introduced in January after a failed attempt to pass it in 2013, recently released testimony from convicted Al-Qaeda member Zacarias Moussaoui has breathed new life into calls for declassification. In early February, Moussaoui said several members of the Saudi royal family, including three princes, donated money directly to Al-Qaeda.
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Questions about the legitimacy of Moussaoui’s testimony persist, but lawmakers are nonetheless calling on President Obama to release what many people believe is the 9/11 Commission’s findings on the alleged links. Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.), the author of the bill, framed the issue as one of transparency.
“You cannot have trust in your government when your government hides information from you, particularly on something horrific like 9/11,” said Rep. Walter Jones (R-N.C.) to The Hill on Friday.
According to Congress.gov, Jones’ bill has 13 co-sponsors, including 8 Democrats.