9/11 families confront Bush, Obama and Biden over ‘deep state’ Saudi cover-up at memorial … with dire plea to Trump and Vance
Families of 9/11 victims confronted former presidents George Bush, Barack Obama and Joe Biden at the Ground Zero NYC memorial, accusing them of protecting Saudi Arabia instead of the families of those killed 25 years ago.
Terry Strada, the widow of 9/11 victim Tom Strada, drew cheers from the crowd as she accused the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia of fomenting ‘anti-American terrorism’ and sending its agents to support the hijackers.
‘And still we have no justice for the role that Saudi Arabia played in your murder,’ she said.
Vice President JD Vance and all the living former presidents sat feet away as she spoke at the memorial service.
‘For 25 years, administration after administration, including leaders in front of us here today, chose to protect the Saudis instead of standing with the 9/11 families,’ she said. ‘They broke promises both public and private. It has been one betrayal after another.’
Strada said Donald Trump ‘can still change that’ and urged him to tell the Saudis they cannot be friends with the USA while denying their role in the attacks.
She then addressed Vance directly, thanking him for attending and asking him to ‘carry that message back’ and stand with the families and survivors.
Another relative, who lost his aunt Lisa Marie Terry in the attacks, told the crowd that ‘for 25 years the Deep State has hidden the truth’ and issued a direct plea: ‘President Trump, you’re our last hope. Release the unredacted files that implicate Saudi Arabia while what’s left of the victims’ families are still alive to see it.’
Terry Strada, the widow of 9/11 victim Tom Strada, drew cheers from the crowd as she accused the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia of fomenting ‘anti-American terrorism’ and sending its agents to support the hijackers
Obama pictured with former First Lady Michelle Obama at the 9/11 ceremony
Vance and all the living former presidents sat feet away as she spoke at the memorial service
Biden picture above with former President George Bush at the 9/11 memorial ceremony
Another relative, who lost his aunt Lisa Marie Terry in the attacks, told the crowd that ‘for 25 years the Deep State has hidden the truth’
Trump was not at Ground Zero, instead attending a separate memorial service at the Pentagon.
The families are pressing the Trump administration to declassify records including phone logs purportedly belonging to Omar al-Bayoumi, a Saudi national the FBI identified in 2022 documents as an agent of Saudi intelligence.
Their decade-old lawsuit against the kingdom is now moving toward trial.
The White House said last week that Trump’s team is working to identify records responsive to the families’ request.
9/11 survivors and victim’s families have long accused the Saudi government of helping the hijackers, 15 of whom were Saudi nationals.
Saudi Arabia has denied any role in the attacks and has fought the families’ lawsuit in federal court for years.
Trump has maintained friendly relations with Saudi Arabia throughout his second term, inviting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman last November, and is now asking Congress to sign off on a deal handing the kingdom nuclear enrichment technology.
The Saudis have let American forces use their bases to strike Iran during the war since February.
