Sens. Johnson, Blumenthal make bipartisan effort to get complete records of Saudi Arabia’s 9/11 role

The Senate has launched a bipartisan effort to get the Biden administration to provide the complete, un-redacted records of Saudi Arabia’s role in the 9/11 terror attacks, citing a chamber panel's "ongoing inquiry" into the country's "attempts to influence United States."

The request was made by Connecticut Democrat Sen. Richard Blumenthal, chairman of the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, and the panel's top Republican, Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson.

The senators sent the letter on the eve of the 22nd anniversary of the terror attacks and addressed it to the FBI and Justice Department. 

They also requested a "full explanation of any ongoing need for classification of any portions of these records." 

Investigations into the 2001 attacks in which nearly 3,000 people were killed on U.S. soil have shown evidence of possible links between the Saudi Arabia government and some of the 15 Saudis involved in the attacks. However, some of the information is apparently still classified for national security reasons.

In a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland and FBI Director Christopher Wray, the senators say neither agency replied to a request in July for such information.

"We have not received a single document or obtained an explanation for any of the hundreds of redactions that remain, despite the government’s recent declassification review," the letter reads.

“Your failure to respond to our letter only adds to our concerns about the U.S. government’s longstanding refusal to provide full transparency to the American public, and particularly for the families of 9/11 victims, about Saudi Arabia’s role in the 9/11 attacks."