Gov. Ron DeSantis visited New York City for the annual commemoration of the 9/11 terror attacks 22 years ago.
And the Florida Governor and 2024 presidential candidate is calling on the current President to make public information that is currently classified about how those attacks came to happen.
“And now, decades later, we as a nation still owe full transparency and accountability to these grieving families. Yet too many politicians have broken past promises to them, and that is wholly unacceptable,” DeSantis said.
DeSantis called on President Joe Biden “to publicly commit to declassifying the remaining Intelligence Community documents regarding the planning and financing of 9/11, consistent with protecting national security. While over the last three years, some progress has been made, a selection of documents and answers remain unclear.”
Indeed, President Biden did commit to a declassification review in his first months in office, with some documents being released. DeSantis wants more, however, saying he would “demand from each agency that they provide a detailed justification for every remaining redaction and decide, in the interests of transparency, whether the public interest outweighs any potential harm in disclosure before making declassification and public release decisions.”
“I will end the federal government’s decades-long abuse of the classification system and will strive to be the most transparent administration in U.S. history,” DeSantis promises.
Additionally, the Governor vows to resist a plea deal with “Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his co-conspirators,” which is reportedly under consideration and could remove the possibility of the death penalty for the attacks more than two decades ago.
“Any plea deal allowing the accused to avoid the harshest penalties and transparency is unconscionable given the loss inflicted by their terrorist acts. While the Biden Administration has allegedly rejected a considered plea deal over the near term, pressure must remain so that any way forward includes public answers and maximum lawful punishment. Avoiding a public trial denies victims the justice they deserve and allows others to evade scrutiny. I urge the administration to serve justice and send an unequivocal message that such attacks on American lives will never go unanswered.”
The post Ron DeSantis presses Joe Biden on declassifying 9/11 documents appeared first on Florida Politics – Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government..