Tony At 10: DAMMED IF YOU DO: BLOG # 2032; MAY 13, 2016

THE MESSAGE:

The complete record of the U.S. Congress’s inquiry into the 9/11 attacks has not been published. Twenty-eight pages are still redacted or being withheld Some believe that the reasons for this have to do with the Saudi government and citizens involvement in the attack.

President George W. Bush ordered the pages kept secret in 2002 - Given his father's extensive terms in the CIA and the Whitehouse, is anyone really surprised? - In 2014 President Obama asked intelligence officials to work on declassifying the material so that Americans can know the results. The process continues to drag on.

SAUDI ARABIA INVOLVEMENT IN 9/11

It is a fact that 15 out of the 19 hijackers from Al Qaeda were Saudi citizens. Is this grounds to suspect efforts by influential Saudis and their powerful religious establishment, to support the plot? Senator Bob Graham, who was a co-chairman of the 2002 joint congressional inquiry into the attacks, has long claimed there is evidence of complicity by institutions and people beyond the 19 terrorists.

The Saudi government continues to deny any involvement. This view was largely supported by the independent 9/11 Commission; however, there are many questions about the financial links between Al Qaeda and Saudi charity groups.

In light of the fact that those connections remain unexplained, families of 9/11 victims continue to push for the release of the Congressional Inquiry. Their motivation is rooted in a desire to determine any roles played by members of the Saudi royal family, banks and charities and hold them responsible through a civil suit. So far, such legal challenges have been thwarted.

Senator Chuck Schumer, Democrat of New York, and others are sponsoring a bipartisan bill that would make it clear that immunity should not apply in cases where nations are found culpable for terrorist attacks that kill Americans at home. The bill was approved by the Senate Judiciary Committee in January. President Obama has said he may veto the measure because it could prompt other countries to retaliate with lawsuits against the American government, citizens and corporations. Obama expresses concern about the effect that such a conclusion would:

Harm diplomatic and economic relations between the two countries
Violate an understanding in international law that presently provides immunity for a nation from another nation's courts.
Limit the effectiveness of U.S. foreign aid.
Bring into question U.S. responses to the war on terrorism.
Cause the U.S. to become subject to many lawsuits in foreign courts, more so than any other nation.
Result in political thrusts that would contest the foreign policies of the U.S.

CONGRESSIONAL LEGISLATION

Congress does have an exception in place that would allow for court action against Iran for sponsoring terrorism. Strangely, Saudi Arabia has to date avoided this exception.

The current proposal by contrast would create a broad general exception to immunity that would be applicable to any nation found guilty of involvement in any action resulting in harm to a U.S. citizen at home.

One example of the danger of removing immunity can be found in the aid that America provides Israel. It could be argued that this aid helped in the killings on the West Bank and Syria.

THE QUESTION:

WHAT ARE THE OPTIONS TO REMOVING IMMUNITY ?

THE ANSWER:

Provide additional compensation to 9/11 families.
Investigate the lingering questions about the attack itself.
Release the 18 pages previously produced for public knowledge
Hold the Saudi government responsible for its involvement by imposing sanctions similar to those imposed on Iran.

THE LEMON:

Awarded to Dick Cheney for his irresponsible actions in the run-up to war in Iraq. Cheney undercut the CIA by instructing subordinates in that agency to stovepipe raw intelligence directly to his office. He also worked with Donald Rumsfeld to establish an alternative intelligence agency within the Pentagon. Both of these actions directly contributed to the faulty information that informed the decision to go to war.