An aerial view shows a small portion of Ground Zero, where the World Trade Center collapsed following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. Picture by Eric J. Tilford/Zuma Press/PA Images. All rights reserved. The
28-page famous Congressional report has ended in a bill known as
JASTA (Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act). Part of the 2002
investigation report was classified by then US president George W.
Bush. However,
last
year, the Obama administration declassified them. The document showed
that some of the hijackers were in contact with, and received support
or assistance from individuals who were connected to the Saudi
government.
There
is an abundance of evidence that leads to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia
financing al-Qaeda, financing Osama bin Laden, and financing the
charities that also supported Osama bin Laden and the attacks of
9/11. So, they are not entitled
to immunity for a terrorist attack on American soil. Moreover, 15 of
the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals. Why should these pieces of
evidence not
be
debated in court?
The 28 pages show a direct link of money being transferred through the Saudi embassy in Washington DC to two hijackers
The
declassified pages offer previously unknown
information about the actions of a powerful figure in the Saudi royal
family. The
document shows further ties between the Saudi government, al-Qaeda,
and the
hijackers.
The 28 pages show a direct link of money being transferred through
the Saudi embassy in Washington DC to two hijackers.
JASTA
has raised tensions with Saudi Arabia. Over
the past several years, Saudis have tried to stop the bill by
lobbying, bribery, and threatening US officials. When the bill was
introduced, the
Saudi
government "threatened" to
sell up to $750 billion in United States Treasury securities and
other U.S. assets if the bill is passed.
Adel
al-Jubeir tried to persuade US legislators to reject JASTA by
lobbying US official. Jubeir
said at a joint press conference with visiting US Secretary of State
John Kerr that “we believe JASTA is a grave danger to the
international system and surely to the kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
An
official at Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the
state-run Saudi Press Agency on September 29 that the U.S. Congress
must correct the 9/11 bill to avoid “serious unintended
consequences,” adding that
the
law is of “great concern” to the Kingdom.
Tracing the flow of money is one crucial way of getting to the truth
Over
the past year, I made
extensive research in
order
to
find
those Saudi companies based in the US attempting to foil JASTA. I
found 27 companies and organizations located in the
US
which spent billions of dollars to lobby Congress and federal
agencies, FBI and CIA officials, and many influential figures seeking
to end US lawsuit against the
Saudi
government over 9/11 attacks. This
list can be found at the bottom of this article.
The
Obama
administration as
well as the
Trump administration made
$480
billion deals with the Saudi government. These
deals
are the most powerful Saudi means to block JASTA.
Though
the
Saudi
government tried to persuade US official and influential figures to
block the lawsuit, JASTA paves
the way for families of 9/11 victims to sue the
Saudi
government for its
alleged
role in the attacks.
It
is true that Saudi Arabia needs US support for its national and
regional security, however, the Saudi petrodollars paid to
consecutive US administrations should not result in ignoring the
rights of American citizens.
We
do not know everything surrounding
the 9/11 attacks,
so why do US officials keep blocking the facts? Why does
Saudi Arabia spend millions and millions of dollars trying to block
this law suit? If the kingdom of Saudi Arabia has nothing to hide,
they should welcome an opportunity to tell their side of
the story in
a courtroom. That is what American citizens
are
asking
for.
It
is extremely important for
the families of
the victims of 9/11 to
have accountability and justice for the murder of their loved ones
but it is also
extremely
important for
US national security going forward to
know the facts.
The
United
States
cannot protect itself if it cannot face who the real enemy is, who
finances al-Qaeda, and
who
financed
these terrorist attacks. Tracing
the flow of money is
one crucial way of getting to the truth, so let’s get it out to the
courtroom.
Bellow
is
the list
of
the 27 companies and
organizations:
Aramco Service Company (AASC)
Contract date: 2016/11/14
Contractor: Saudi Government
Type of service: communications and public relations
Nazar Group
Contract date: 2016/11/09
Contractor: Saudi embassy
Type of service: Political advisor to the Embassy of Saudi Arabia
Hill+Noltown Group
Contract date: 2017/05/18
Contractor: Saudi government
Type of service: Political counseling
International Trade Institute
Contract date: 2011/04/14
Contractor: Saudi Commercial Board
Type of service: Economics and Investment Consulting
Burke, Martha, Ann
Contract Date: 2017/06/06
Contractor: Saudi Foreign Ministry
Type of service: Expanding War in Yemen
Subcontracting with Brownstein Group
Glover Park Group
Contract date: 2016/09/20
Contractor: Saudi government
Type of service: Supporting Saudi Arabia against JASTA
Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck
Contract date: 2016/09/22
Contractor: Saudi Foreign Ministry
Type of service: The company provided two reports in 60 pages and described to US officials the prospect of Saudi action to return the Yemeni ruler.
Daniel Edelman Inc.
Contract date: 2017/05/05
Contractor: General Investment Council
Type of service: Edelman Inc. is an Employment Attorney in Washington, New York and the United Nations which works for the benefit of Saudi Arabia. The company received $ 190,000 for a promotional work including a logo, a booklet and a video clip.
Saudi Refining Company
Contract date: 1989/05/12
Contractor: Oil Company (Aramco)
Type of service: Public relations and investment support
Hogan Lovells
Contract date: 2007/9/24
Contractor: Saudi Embassy
Type of service: Receiving $ 125,000 per month in return for providing advice on legal, judicial, and organizational activities and general policies – Focusing on Iran
Burson-Marsteller
Contract date: 2017/01/27
Contractor: The Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition
Type of service: The contract was signed by Saudi Defense Minister Mohamed bin Salman to promote the "Military Counter Terrorism Coalition." From the terms of the agreement, Burson-Marsteller has been planning the recruitment of senior American and British officers to launch a military coalition.
DLA Piper
Contract date: 2016/05/31
Contractor: Saudi Foreign Ministry
Type of service: The purpose of this contract is to block JASTA, with a monthly payment of $ 5,000.
Harper Group, Inc.
Contract date: 2017/06/06
Contractor: Saudi Embassy
Saudi International Petrochemical Company (SIPCHEM)
Contract date: 1999/07/21
Contractor: Oil Company (Aramco)
Aramco Service Company (AASC)
Contract date: 2016/11/14
Contractor: Oil Company (Aramco)
Konig & Spalding
Contract date: 2016/09/26
Contractor: Ministry of Commerce and Investment
HOV Health International Group
Contract date: 2016/10/26
Contractor: Saudi Government
PGR Public Service Group
Contract date: 2016/03/15
Contractor: Center for Research and Media of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Type of service: Promotion of Public Relations and Media Management Services for a monthly fee of $ 500,000
The contract was signed by Ed Rogers, a member of the Foreign Relations Commission and former government officials of Ronald Reagan.
MSL Group
Contract date: 2002/03/06
Contractor: Saudi Embassy
Type of service: This is the main group that has been tasked with pushing for Saudi Arabia's interests by the beginning of 2017. According to reports, this group received $ 7 million for its activities in April-September 2015.
"Just Counseling" Group
Contract date: 2012/10/09
Contractor: Islamic Cooperation Organization
Type of service: Public relations
Rousseau Dominic
Contract date: 2016/10/20
Contractor: General Investment Council
Type of service: Public relations and investment support
Capital Media Group
Contract date: 2017/01/31
Contractor: Saudi Embassy
Sonoran Policy Group Inc.
Contract date: 2017/05/15
Contractor: Ministry of Interior
Type of service: Providing advice to the Saudi Ministry of Interior on business and government affairs for $5.4 million
The group is managed by former Donald Trump advisers to US President Donald Trump.
Macon Group
Contract date: 2016/11/16
Contractor: Saudi Government
Type of service: to support Saudi Arabia; political counseling and putting pressure on JASTA.
Squire Patton Boggs
Contract date: 2016/09/20
Contractor: Center for Research and Media of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Type of service: legal and strategic consulting in the field of foreign policy with a monthly payment of $100,000
Senator John Breaux and Senator Trent Lott are two of the influential senators involved in this contract
CGCN Group
Contract date: 2016/11/30
Contractor: Saudi Embassy
Subcontracting through the Glover Park Group
PODiSTA
Contract date: 2015/09/07
Contractor: Center for Research and Media of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia