Executive Intelligence Review

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Congressman Walter B. Jones (NC-3), Congressman Stephen F. Lynch (MA-8), and Congressman Thomas Massie (KY-4) hosted a press conference to highlight H. Res. 779, a resolution Congressman Jones introduced to urge the House Intelligence Committee to publish the 28 classified pages of the Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Activities Before and After the Terrorist Attacks of September 2001. The pages were initially classified by President George W. Bush and have remained classified under President Barack Obama. In the House, the Committee on Intelligence has jurisdiction over the pages. "I have read these pages and can say that while their release will not harm national security, the contents are critical to our foreign policy moving forward. That is why I have introduced a resolution that would enable the House Committee on Intelligence to declassify the 28 pages," said Congressman Jones. "The CIA has stated that Congress owns the 28 pages, and the Supreme Court has ruled that members of Congress can declassify material. It is more critical than ever for the American people to know what led to the tragic attacks on September 11, 2001, and I urge my colleagues on the House Intelligence Committee to release the pages."

"Our commitment to one another as citizens in a society that values freedom and justice demands that we hold accountable those who aided and abetted the savage attacks on our homeland and the murder of thousands of innocent Americans. The victims' families, the public, and the press should have the chance to carefully examine the contents of the 28 pages. It is a matter of justice and good governance to make the 28 pages public in 2016," said Congressman Lynch.

"The House Intelligence Committee should declassify these pages. As we debate how to prevent domestic terrorism, elected officials and their constituents need to know more about the events leading up to September 11. Understanding what enabled this tragedy to occur is fundamental to drafting a strategy for the Middle East," said Rep. Massie. "The release of these pages will not endanger our national security. Keeping them a secret might."

For video of the press conference, click herehttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vvBuVcOhPA

To read more about Congressman Jones' effort to declassify the 28 pages, click here.https://jones.house.gov/issue/values

RT

Congressmen urge House to declassify secret 28 pages of 9/11 inquiry

7 Jul, 2016

A revived push to pass a House resolution to declassify 28 pages of a 9/11 report possibly detailing official Saudi Arabian involvement in the terror attacks is being led by a group of congressmen targeting the House Intelligence Committee.

During the previous White House administration, President George W. Bush classified the 28-page chapter to allegedly protect intelligence sources. In 2014, President Barack Obama ordered a declassification review of the redacted pages from the December 2002 congressional report known as the Final Report of the Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities Before and After the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001.

The 28 pages have been the source of speculation for years, with many in Congress who have exercised their privilege to view the documents suggesting the content to be revelatory, specifically on the question of substantial Saudi involvement in orchestrating the attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people.

Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were citizens of Saudi Arabia, but the Saudi government has always denied supporting the attackers. In a relentless effort by US politicians to make the 28 pages public, last month, Representative Walter B. Jones (R-North Carolina) introduced H. Res. 779, which would allow Congress to bypass the president and release the 28 pages to the public.

On Wednesday, Congressmen Jones, Stephen F. Lynch (D-Massachusetts), and Thomas Massie (R-Kentucky) held a press conference rally for support of the new bill.

"I have read these pages and can say that while their release will not harm national security, the contents are critical to our foreign policy moving forward," Jones told reporters. "The CIA has stated that Congress owns the 28 pages, and the Supreme Court has ruled that members of Congress can declassify material. It is more critical than ever for the American people to know what led to the tragic attacks on September 11, 2001, and I urge my colleagues on the House Intelligence Committee to release the pages."

Massie, for his part, urged the House Intelligence Committee to declassify the redacted pages, because in the face of "domestic terrorism," the public should know what led to the 9/11 atrocities.

"Understanding what enabled this tragedy to occur is fundamental to drafting a strategy for the Middle East," said Rep. Massie. "The release of these pages will not endanger our national security."

"There may [be] some very embarrassing facts, some very embarrassing moments, and some criticisms on own intelligence service because of what happened, if all the facts come out," Rep. Lynch added.

"They don't want the facts to come out because it may reveal terrible, terrible errors on their part and they may bear part of the blame" for failing to prevent the worst terrorist attack in US history, Lynch concluded.

Earlier this month, the government declassified a report compiled by Dana Lesemann and Michael Jacobson, listing more than three dozen people that were probed by investigators into possible Saudi connections to the hijackers.

The document, known as "File 17," first disclosed by 28pages.org, offers clues as to what may be hidden in the secret 28 pages of the congressional report on the 9/11 attacks.

"Much of the information upon which File 17 was written was based on what's in the 28 pages," former Democratic Senator Bob Graham of Florida told Associated Press.

As for the possible Saudi connection, the 9/11 Commission, which released a report of its own separate from the joint inquiry, stated that it found "no evidence that the Saudi government as an institution or senior Saudi officials individually funded" al-Qaeda.

"This conclusion does not exclude the likelihood that charities with significant Saudi government sponsorship diverted funds to al-Qaida," the report added.

Link to full article:
https://www.rt.com/usa/349797-congressmen-urge-house-to-declassify/

Congressmen and 9/11 Families: Demand Release of 28 Pages Now

{The following is a paraphrase of certain selections of the 28 pages press conference held today outside Congress.}

July 6, 2016 (EIRNS)--A one-hour tour de force press conference was held in front of the U.S. Congress today, demanding the release of the still-classified "28 pages," the final chapter, in the Congressional Inquiry of 2002 which deals with the Saudi role in the 9/11 attack on the U.S., which murdered 3,000 Americans.

U.S. congressmen Walter Jones (R-NC), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), and Thomas Massie (R-KY), 9/11 family leaders Ms. Terry Strada, Kaitlyn Strada, Sharon Premoli, and others spoke to press, which included CNN, {The New York Times}, Eleanor Clift of {The Daily Beast}, representatives of the 28pages.org, and others.

Rep. Walter Jones began with a statement that House Members had joined in H. Res. 779, calling on the House Intelligence Committee to place the "28 pages" in the Congressional Record.

Rep. Stephen Lynch thanked the 9/11 families, and thanked U.S. Sen. Bob Graham, the former head of the Senate Intelligence Committee for his efforts. Rep. Lynch said, "As the lead Democrat on the National Security subcommittee, I take classification seriously, but 15 years -- a sufficient timeframe has passed since 9/11, and "the government needs to be transparent and honest with the American people. There is no accountability without transparency." Lynch said there are 70 cosponsors on H. Res. 14, calling on Obama to declassify the 28 pages. It is time for the Obama Administration to finish its review, and we have introduced H. Res. 779, which urges the House Intelligence Committee, chaired by Devin Nunes and its Ranking Member, Adam Schiff, to urge the Committee to publish the 28 pages in the Congressional Record. In a long meeting with DIA Chief James Clapper on June 12, it was admitted that it is a document which belongs to Congress. I hope that we will bring the Intelligence Committee to release it, Lynch said.

Rep. Thomas Massie spoke next, and asked, "Will we be less safe? Terrorism is here, [so] why do we keep blinders on? Congress has possession and ownership of the 28 pages (they are a congressional work product), and we have the power to release them right here in this building. I think we will prevail. The pages will provide answers, and inform the public.

Mrs. Terry Strada, Chair of the national 9/11 families, said that the Office for the Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, promised them an answer by June 12, and they have waited two years. Obama promised the families on two occasions that he would release the pages, but "the Saudis seem to hold more sway."

Why haven't the pages been released? Rep. Lynch stated that there is a long-term relationship between U.S. and Saudi intelligence. He pointed to the anomalies: How do non-English speakers get housing, and go to flight school for a two-year period in the U.S.? What did the Saudi embassy do for them? The answer may reveal terrible errors on the part of our intelligence community.

Rep. Massie said that releasing the pages will raise more questions.

Eleanor Clift of {The Daily Beast} asked, How would declassification work? Would the House vote? Or would the Intelligence Committee say declassify them? Has the House Intelligence Committee declassified anything on its own?

It was asserted that Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes (R-CA) and Ranking Democrat Adam Schiff think it ought to be done.

Rep. Lynch then presented former Sen. Mike Gravel's approach to the Pentagon Papers from 1971 as a precedent. The Church Committee generated a report on the Vietnam War.

The White House refused to allow it to be published. Congressman [Senator] Gravel went to the well in the House [Senate] and read its pages, protected by the speech and debate clause of the U.S. Constitution, which gave the Congress the right to speak and debate on any issue. And even though they tried to prosecute him for reading it, the U.S. Supreme Court said that the separation of powers [branches] of government and the Constitution's speech and debate clause protected that Member of Congress who read those papers.

We believe that we are protected. And it may come to that; it may come to a point where Walter [Jones] and myself and Mr. Massie go to the well of the House and read the text of the 28 pages, if we can't get it released to us. Because when we get out of the Intelligence Room of the House, they have people who sit in front of you, and they take your phone away; no electronics; can't take notes, read under the observation of Intelligence Committee staff and personnel.

So we don't have the 28 pages [to read aloud in Congress]. We can sit as long as we want. So we have tried to memorize and read, and go over it and over it; and we have done that, but we can't release it, because we don't have custody of it.

Eleanor Clift: [You are] asking the Committee to release to you or the full House; ideally to release to the public, because it is a congressional document, and that would already be protected by the speech and debate clause?

Rep. Jones: To Steve's point: The Committee would then recommend to the House, and the House would vote, in my opinion, 435 yes [unanimously]. That is why we want to use this as a backup. My hope would be that the president would listen to Hillary or Trump [as potential successors], but more importantly --the American people and the 9/11 families come first.

Question by {EIR's} Jeff Steinberg: One of the 9/11 Commissioners, John Lehman, has said both the congressional Joint inquiry and the 9/11 Commission never had an opportunity to run down all the Saudi leads. Senator Graham says there are 80,000 pages relating to the Saudis in Sarasota that the FBI has. Do you envision a {de novo} investigation?

Rep. Jones: We've spent five years to get the 28 pages. That's the first step to open a multitude of doors that should be opened. . . .One country alone is responsible for 9/11. I was very critical of the Iraq War. George W. Bush said they should be classified.

Rep. Lynch: The pages speak for themselves. [They show] a chronology of when [the attackers] arrived, who housed them, and assembled the operation over a matter of years. There was significant support from an outside country. They answer a lot of questions and provoke a lot of questions... House Speakers Boehner and Ryan haven't permitted the House to exercise its Constitutional responsibility.

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Executive Intelligence Review