Republican anger is mounting over Biden administrator’s potential deal for suspected 9/11 architects
Republican lawmakers are resisting the Pentagon’s potential plea deal that could result in none of the 9/11 architects or co-conspirators ever facing the death penalty.
Sen. Ted Cruz, R.-Texas, and Rep. Nicole Malliotakis, R.-NY, on Monday sent Secretary of State Lloyd Austin a letter calling a potential plea deal “completely unacceptable,” adding that it would Losing victims’ families would bring “full measure of justice.”
“Make no mistake, any outcome that does not result in the death penalty for the 9/11 conspirators would be totally unacceptable,” the letter said.
“These families have already been bereft of loved ones, they should not be bereft of the full measure of justice in this case. The conspirators of the 11 face of the world who deserve the death penalty, it is these five men.”
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Senator Ted Cruz and Representatives Nicole Malliotakis and Mike Lawler (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call/Bloomberg/Bill ClarkCQ-Roll Call via Getty Images)
Cruz told Fox News Digital in a statement Tuesday that if the terrorist attacks were never brought to justice, “the American people and the victims of this horrific attack will be denied the justice and closure they rightly deserve.”
“Any outcome that does not result in a trial and a subsequent death penalty would represent a complete failure of Defense Department leadership,” Cruz said.
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A hijacked plane crashed into the World Trade Center on September 11th. (Seth McAllister/AFP via Getty Images)
He added that he and Malliotakis “will be working to ensure that the Biden administration is responsive to Congressional oversight, especially as we think about federal funding.”
“Twenty-two years have passed since the terrorist attacks of September 11th. My colleagues and I tell @POTUS that plea deals for the terrorists responsible for these horrific attacks are unacceptable. These killers deserve the death penalty – NOTHING less,” Malliotakis wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, Monday.
Brett Eagleson, president of Justice 911, a grassroots organization made up of 9/11 survivors and their families, told Fox News Digital Tuesday it would be progress if lawmakers sounded the alarm about the plea deal, but it much more needs to be done to ensure that justice is done.
“This is an absurd betrayal of justice,” Eagleson said of the negotiations. “The main issue here is the fact that they are making arrangements that would allow these five inmates to avoid a public trial – and we as Americans deserve better.”
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“We are families who have fought for true history, truth and accountability for 22 years. And allowing these inmates to make plea deals is just another step in this 22-year odyssey by our government trying to hide the true information about what “performed 9/11 and helped the hijackers under wraps.” , he said.
Cruz and Malliotakis join Rep. Mike Lawler, R.-NY, House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, RN.Y., and Rep. Pat Ryan, DN.Y. An, who sent a letter to the Biden administration last week criticizing the possible plea deal.
American flags at the 9/11 memorial. (Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
The backlash comes as the families of the victims of the August 11 attack received a letter from the Pentagon on Aug. 1 informing them that the federal government may have a plea deal for the “chief architect” Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his four co-conspirators who want to prevent the death penalty. Fox News Digital obtained a copy of the letter, first available from The Associated Press.
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In response, more than 2,000 family members of those killed in the September 11, 2001 attacks responded in a letter saying that the company “will continue to retain information provided to it” without trial. [Mohammed] Legal team – information that would undoubtedly shed light on the identity of the 9/11 conspirators – classified and hidden not only from the 9/11 families but also from the American public.
The negotiations, which began more than a year ago and are still ongoing, relate to allegations that al-Qaeda detainees at Guantanamo Bay were subjected to torture, including waterboarding, by the CIA. These allegations have raised concerns about the potential impact on prosecutors’ cases.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment.