9/11

DOJ Ignores Allegations of Saudi Lobbying Misconduct

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U.S. military veterans say Qorvis Communications tricked them into unknowingly lobbying on behalf of Saudi Arabia

Campaign against law enabling 9/11 victims to sue kingdom used unregistered agents, failed to provide required disclosures

By Brian P. McGlinchey

In March 2017, a group of 9/11 families presented the Department of Justice with 17 pages of detailed allegations that Qorvis Communications had, on behalf of Saudi Arabia, conducted a lobbying campaign against the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) characterized by extensive violations of the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA). Continue reading →

Exclusive: FBI Told Former Agent Not to Help 9/11 Victims Build Case Against Saudi Arabia

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Author of 9/11’s famed “Phoenix Memo” was told White House’s pursuit of warm relations with kingdom comes first

Former Senate intelligence chair Bob Graham calls FBI’s action “a fundamental assault on the principle of democracy”

By Brian P. McGlinchey

Kenneth Williams

A retired FBI counterterrorism agent with a notable role in the story of 9/11 says the FBI’s Office of the General Counsel told him not to cooperate with attorneys representing 9/11 victims in their suit against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia because it could harm U.S.-Saudi relations.

In an exclusive interview with 28Pages.org, Kenneth Williams, author of an ignored July 2001 memo warning that Osama bin Laden may be training pilots in the United States, explains why he has now decided to ignore the FBI’s instructions, Continue reading →

Leaked Emails Suggest Trump Campaign Duplicity on 28 Pages

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Trump publicly supported release of 28 pages on Saudi links to 9/11, but advisors shared inside info on killing of GOP platform plank

Paul Manafort gave news of GOP convention maneuvering to Tom Barrack, who informed UAE’s ambassador

Barrack urged Trump to refrain from making an issue of millions in Saudi money flowing to the Clinton Foundation

By Brian P. McGlinchey

Tom Barrack Speaks at the 2016 GOP Convention

According to leaked emails obtained by Middle East Eye, an unnamed Republican Party figure orchestrated the defeat of a proposed 2016 GOP plank calling for the declassification of 28 pages on Saudi government links to the 9/11 plotters.

That individual then notified Trump presidential campaign manager Paul Manafort of the plank’s defeat and claimed credit for providing instructions to “our political team” to kill it. Continue reading →

In Blow to Kingdom, Judge Rejects Saudi Effort to Escape 9/11 Suit

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Discovery phase will focus on two Saudis in southern California accused of aiding hijackers who attacked Pentagon

By Brian P. McGlinchey

Flight 77 Hijacker Nawaf al-Hazmi

U.S. District Judge George Daniels has rejected Saudi Arabia’s motion to be removed as a defendant in a civil suit in which thousands of 9/11 family members, survivors and insurers allege Saudi government officials and agents supported the al Qaeda plot that killed 2,996 people, injured more than 6,000 others and caused billions of dollars in damage to businesses and property.

From a Saudi public relations perspective, the timing of the decision is particularly inopportune: Crown prince Mohammed bin Salman is in the midst of an aggressive two-week tour of the United States aimed at rehabilitating the kingdom’s image. Continue reading →

Document Exposes Inconsistent Disclosure of Saudi Hand in Campaign Against JASTA

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Flyer filed with DOJ included required disclosure of Saudi sponsorship; version presented to military veterans did not

By Brian P. McGlinchey

28Pages.org has uncovered a striking example of lobbyists’ selective disclosure of Saudi Arabia’s sponsorship of their work against a law that enables 9/11 victims to sue the kingdom for its alleged support of the al Qaeda hijackers.

Specifically, lobbyists used two versions of a flyer that criticized the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA): An early version filed with the Department of Justice included a required disclosure of Saudi Arabia’s sponsorship; a version later presented to military veterans did not. Continue reading →