Former President Donald Trump said Sunday that he would look into a request from families of September 11 victims to declassify documents that may reveal Saudi Arabia’s alleged role in the terror attacks a quarter-century ago.
Some victims’ relatives have long contended that a network of extremist religious leaders within Saudi Arabia influenced the kingdom’s government and provided support to the hijackers. Of the 19 attackers, 15 were Saudi nationals, though the Saudi government has consistently denied any involvement in the plot.
The families formally asked Trump to release the classified material. When pressed on the matter Sunday during his visit to Ireland, the president indicated he was open to the request.
“I’m going to look at it when I get back,” Trump said shortly before boarding Air Force One to head back to Washington following the weekend in Ireland. “I know they asked me Friday.”
Relatives of those killed in the attacks have been waging a prolonged legal fight against Saudi Arabia. Among them is Terry Strada, who urged Trump during a commemorative event in New York City on Friday to “tell the Saudis to stop lying.”
Strada, who lost her husband Tom in the attacks, said that past US presidents had chosen “to protect the Saudis instead of standing with the 9/11 families.”
Strada, who was among the family members who read the names of the victims aloud during the 25th anniversary remembrance, added that the current administration should “stand with the families, stand with the survivors.”
“It has been one betrayal after another,” she said. “President Trump can still change that.”
