Jones Urges Obama to Release 9/11 Papers | Eastern North Carolina Now

    WASHINGTON, D.C.     Congressman Walter B. Jones (NC-3), Congressman Stephen F. Lynch (MA-8) and Congressman Thomas Massie (KY-4) have sent a letter to President Barack Obama urging him to release the 28 redacted pages of the Congressional Joint Inquiry Into Intelligence Activities Before and After the Terrorist Attacks of September 2001 before his trip to Saudi Arabia this week. Many members of both the Joint Inquiry and the 9/11 Commission publicly support declassifying the 28 pages, along with a large bipartisan coalition of Members of Congress.

    "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. I think it's important that President Obama release the 28 pages-like he promised the 9/11 families he would do on multiple occasions-before his trip to Saudi Arabia so that the American people can know the truth and his trip is as fruitful as possible," said Congressman Jones.

    "We owe it to the families of the innocent victims and to the American people to provide a full accounting of the circumstances surrounding the September 11th terrorist attacks. Declassifying the 28 pages is an important step towards answering some of the questions that remain and it is a matter of justice and good governance to do so in 2016," said Congressman Lynch.

    "President Obama should immediately declassify these pages. Before we involve ourselves in Syria, 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. "I also challenge my colleagues in Congress to read the pages on behalf of their constituents and immediately cosponsor H. Res 14."

    Last year, Congressmen Jones, Lynch, and Massie introduced H. Res. 14, a resolution to call on President Obama to declassify the 28 pages of the Joint Inquiry that were initially classified by President George W. Bush and have remained classified under President Barack Obama. The resolution states that declassification of the pages is necessary to provide the American public with the full truth surrounding the tragic events of September 11, 2001, particularly relating to the involvement of foreign governments.

• Contact: Crystal Feldman
•     govpress@nc.gov