Dozens of survivors of the September 11th attacks, and family members of victims of the attacks, are requesting that President Joe Biden not attend any 9/11 memorials this year unless he releases documents they believe show a link between the attacks and Saudi Arabian leaders.
A letter signed by more than 1,600 survivors and family members calls on Biden to "authorize the release of all documents and information to the 9/11 community that our government has accrued in its investigation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (and which former FBI agents have sworn establishes the Kingdom's role in 9/11) to allow us to rightfully obtain justice against the Kingdom."
The letter was first reported by NBC News.
"Since the conclusion of the 9/11 Commission in 2004 much investigative evidence has been uncovered implicating Saudi government officials in supporting the attacks," the letter reads. “Through multiple administrations, the Department of Justice and the FBI have actively sought to keep this information secret and prevent the American people from learning the full truth about the 9/11 attacks."
The letter also references an earlier letter that families say Biden sent to them last October, in which Biden says he will direct his attorney general to "personally examine the merits of all cases where the invocation of privilege is recommended, and to err on the side of disclosure in cases where, as here, the events in question occurred two decades or longer ago."
"We understand President Biden's desire to mark the solemn occasion of the 20th anniversary at Ground Zero," the families' letter reads. "However, we cannot in good faith, and with veneration to those lost, sick, and injured, welcome the president to our hallowed grounds until he fulfills his commitment."
Spectrum News has reached out to the White House for comment.
This upcoming Sept. 11 will mark 20 years since the attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people between New York City, Washington D.C. and Shanksville, P.A.