Just for the Record

[Rojo]

Yahoo.news

Documents show FBI helped Saudis depart after 9/11 attacks: New York Times

Sun Mar 27, 2:13 PM ET


WASHINGTON (AFP) - The FBI (news - web sites) played an active role in arranging chartered flights for dozens of well-connected Saudi nationals -- including relatives of Osama bin Laden (news - web sites) -- after the 9/11 terror attacks.

The New York Times reported that the documents show Federal Bureau of Investigation agents gave personal airport escorts to two prominent Saudi families who fled the United States, while several other Saudis were allowed to leave the country without first being interviewed, citing newly-released US government records.

The Saudi families, in Los Angeles and Orlando, had requested the FBI escorts out of concern for their personal safety in the wake of the attacks.

The documents were obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit against the Justice Department (news - web sites) by Judicial Watch, a conservative legal group, which provided copies to the Times.

FBI officials contacted by the daily reacted angrily to the allegation of preferential treatment for the Saudis.

One official, speaking on condition of anonymity, when queried by the Times about the airport escorts said "we'd do that for anybody if they felt they were threatened -- we wouldn't characterize that as special treatment."

The Saudis' chartered flights -- arranged in the days after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks when most aircraft were still grounded -- long have been a topic of allegations related to close family ties and associates of US President George W. Bush (news - web sites) and the Saudi royal family.

The charges received their most prominent airing last year by the filmmaker Michael Moore, in his "Fahrenheit 9/11" documentary.

White House officials have strongly denied any special treatment for the Saudis.

[Falls City Beer]

"One official, speaking on condition of anonymity, when queried by the Times about the airport escorts said "we'd do that for anybody if they felt they were threatened -- we wouldn't characterize that as special treatment.""

Next time I'm at Reagan International I'm going to say I'm being chased by angry American thugs; see if I can't get a chartered flight to Saudi Arabia. :MandJ:

[CbusRed]

man, all these FBI agents deserve to get fired.

none of this would have happened if we would have just elected John Kerry as our president.

No way would John Kerry have let this happened. He would have personally been at the airport stopping these terrorists from leaving our country.

[Unassisted]

I thought escort services were illegal. But now, the FBI is running one? I'm so confused.

[pedro]

man, all these FBI agents deserve to get fired.

none of this would have happened if we would have just elected John Kerry as our president.

No way would John Kerry have let this happened. He would have personally been at the airport stopping these terrorists from leaving our country.

First it was Bush who deserved to get fired, but america decided not to.

And second, you're missing the point. None of this would have happenned if Al Gore was president because he isn't best buddies with the Saudi Royal family.

And yes, I know he invented the interweb.

[CbusRed]

First it was Bush who deserved to get fired, but america decided not to.

And second, you're missing the point. None of this would have happenned if Al Gore was president because he isn't best buddies with the Saudi Royal family.

And yes, I know he invented the interweb.

OH!
how could I forget

I love al gore, he is my favorite of all the presidential nominees!

[pedro]

OH!
how could I forget

I love al gore, he is my favorite of all the presidential nominees!

I have a friend (who is actually very liberal) who didn't vote for Gore b/c he had a dream that Gore caused a nuclear war.

You never know.

[pedro]

I thought escort services were illegal. But now, the FBI is running one? I'm so confused.

It's not the Escort Service that's illegal. It's the service they supply.

[traderumor]

First it was Bush who deserved to get fired, but america decided not to.

And second, you're missing the point. None of this would have happenned if Al Gore was president because he isn't best buddies with the Saudi Royal family.

And yes, I know he invented the interweb.

Al Gore would have been huddled in a corner crying "Mommy" at the onset of the 911 events. Puh-lease.

[Redsfaithful]

Al Gore would have been huddled in a corner crying "Mommy" at the onset of the 911 events. Puh-lease.

As opposed to Bush who flew around in a plane all day or Cheney who went underground? Manly men those two.

For living in glass houses Republicans seem to throw an awful lot of stones.

[pedro]

Al Gore would have been huddled in a corner crying "Mommy" at the onset of the 911 events. Puh-lease.

It's well documented that there is a wide difference of opinion concerning the quality of "leadership" we recieved both post and pre-911. I don't think anyone is prepared to budge so let's just leave it at that.

[traderumor]

As opposed to Bush who flew around in a plane all day or Cheney who went underground? Manly men those two.

For living in glass houses Republicans seem to throw an awful lot of stones.

RF,

I know you're smarter than that and understand the national security implications of those things. Gore and his running mate, who at this point I can't even remember, would have been in the same place...except they would have been getting into their batman and robin outfits.

[GAC]

None of this would have happenned if Al Gore was president because he isn't best buddies with the Saudi Royal family.

So you're saying Gore would be a "cowboy" (or chicken hawk) in that situation? I doubt it.

Al Gore, like any politician, would have done whatever was politically expedient at the time. He would have done the same thing because he wasn't going to do anything to upset relations with the Saudi government, regardless if he was/wasn't best buddies with them. That is inconsequential IMO.

He would have been the perfect diplomat.

And what grounds did they have to hold them? Because some in that group had the last name of Bin Laden? You don't think their lives might not have been at risk when people found out that relatives of Bin Laden were here? Geez! We got people threatening the lives of our judges over the Schiavo case. There was more then enough justification for them to want to safely get out of the country as soon as possible.

Has it ever been proven that those Saudis who were allowed to leave did anything criminal or were connected with the 9/11 terrorists? No. They had the same family name, yet you do realize that Bin Laden has basically been disowned and is estranged from his Saudi family for many years due to his embracing the radical type of Islam that even wants to bring down the Saudi regime.

As FCB would say.... Red Herring.

Leave it to the NT Times to try and stir something up that just isn't there IMO.

[pedro]

So you're saying Gore would be a "cowboy" (or chicken hawk) in that situation? I doubt it.

Not really, I was just trying to make the point that Al Gore was the alternative at that point, not John Kerry.

I don't think the two of them together could beat up Robin Williams but that's probably an issue for another thread.

[CbusRed]

Not really, I was just trying to make the point that Al Gore was the alternative at that point, not John Kerry.

I don't think the two of them together could beat up Robin Williams but that's probably an issue for another thread.

yes they could