WASHINGTON – Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) joined Sen. Bob
Menendez (D-N.J.) and others to improve governmental transparency regarding
federal 9/11 investigations. For nearly 20 years, 9/11 survivors and victims’
families have fought tirelessly to identify and bring to justice all of the
perpetrators of the attacks. The bipartisan September
11th Transparency Act requires federal agencies to conduct a
declassification review of records related to the 9/11 attacks.
“It’s been nearly 20 years since the September 11
attacks, and while the world has changed greatly, the public still doesn’t have
the full picture of everything that led up to that day and all who were
involved. Victims and their families deserve answers. This bill instructs the
executive branch to pull back the veil and make as much 9/11 records as transparent
as possible,” Grassley said.
“If the United States government is sitting on any
documents that may implicate Saudi Arabia in the events of 9/11, these families
and the American people have a right to know. If information is power, then we
must give our 9/11 families access to that information and any power it
provides them as they carry forward their search for truth, justice, and
accountability for the September 11th attacks,” Menendez said.
The
September
11th Transparency Act will ensure that the Department of Justice (DOJ),
the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Director of National Intelligence
(DNI) declassify, as appropriate, the documents that could identify additional
co-conspirators. The bill doesn’t require the agencies to declassify any
specific documents, but the agencies must complete declassification reviews
through their appropriate existing processes. The DOJ, CIA and DNI must provide
Congress with justification if they decide not to declassify a document or
record. The bill is modeled on the declassification review of the Bin Laden
raid that Congress passed in 2014.
Along with Menendez and Grassley, the bill is cosponsored
by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), John Cornyn (R-Texas), Kirsten
Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.).
Congressman Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.-08) will introduce companion legislation in
the House of Representatives.
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