9/11 Commission reportSecret 28-page section of 9/11 report should remain under seal: CIA director

Published 3 May 2016

John Brennan, the director of the CIA, has said that the 28-page secret section of the 9/11 Commission Report which details Saudi Arabian funding for the attacks, contains “uncorroborated, un-vetted” information and should not be released. Brennan expressed his strong preference for keeping the secret section from the public domain for fear of fueling unfounded rumors and speculations.

John Brennan, the director of the CIA, has said that the 28-page secret section of the 9/11 Commission Report which details Saudi Arabian funding for the attacks, contains “uncorroborated, un-vetted” information and should not be released. Brennan expressed his strong preference for keeping the secret section from the public domain for fear of fueling unfounded rumors and speculations. 

ABC News reports that Brennan insisted the section was “thoroughly investigated and reviewed” by the official inquiry into 9/11.

Brennan also maintained that the United States had a “very strong” relationship with Saudi Arabia, a country from which fifteen of the nineteen 9/11 hijackers hailed.

“This chapter was kept out [of the public domain] because of concerns about sensitive methods [and] investigative actions,” he said on NBC’s Meet The Press.

He said the report was “a combination of things that are accurate and inaccurate.”

He argued that the inquiry into 9/11 “came out with a very clear judgment that there was no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution, or Saudi officials or individuals, had provided financial support to al-Qaeda.

I think some people may seize upon that uncorroborated, un-vetted information…to point to Saudi involvement, which I think would be very, very inaccurate,” he said.

Those who argue for the release of the redacted section for public scrutiny include families of the 9/11 victims, but also former lawmakers with national security experience, led by former Florida senator Bob Graham (D), who worked on the report.

The twenty-eight pages primarily relate to who financed 9/11, and they point a very strong finger at Saudi Arabia as being the principal financier,” Graham said.

On a separate occasion, he told media: “One thing that irritates me is that the FBI has gone beyond just covering up, trying to avoid disclosure, into what I call aggressive deception.”

Brennan, responding to these claims, said: “I’m quite puzzled by Sen. Graham and others.”

ABC News notes that the families of the 9/11 victims are waiting to see whether Congress would pass legislation which would allow them to sue the Saudi government over its role in the terrorist attacks, something which current “sovereign immunity” law prohibits.

The Justice against Sponsors of Terrorism Act measure has passed the Senate but has not yet been brought to a vote in the House.