- WASHINGTON, DC -- The 9/11
CitizensWatch, an advocacy group for family members of victims of the attack
as well as independent researchers and investigators nationwide, is calling
on the White House and 9/11 National Commission holding open hearings today
and Friday to conduct a full investigation into the air safety and air
defense failures of 9/11.
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- Senator Robert Graham (D-FL), head of the Senate Intelligence
Committee's investigation into the incident is calling the Bush administration's
refusal to release the report of the Congressional joint inquiry to the
Commission a "cover-up". Former Congressman Tim Roemer (D-IN)
has protested the reluctance of the Justice Department and Bush administration
to release transcripts of Congressional testimony from closed hearings,
some of which Roemer attended.
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- "Without full cooperation from all branches of government
and disclosure of records at all levels, the Commission cannot possibly
conduct a thorough investigation of the events of 9/11 or recommend future
actions and policies," said Kyle Hence, co-founder of 9/11 Citizen,s
Watch. "This Commission must be as transparent, public and accountable
as possible to insure public confidence in their findings and recommendations,"
he said.
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- A 9/11 family member, Mindy Kleinberg of September 11
Advocates, noted in her testimony to the Commission in March that following
the FAA,s realization that a hijacking was taking place on Flight 11 "according
to NORAD's official timeline, NORAD was not contacted until 20 minutes
later at 8:40 a.m.Tragically the fighter jets were not deployed until 8:52
a.m. -- a full 32 minutes after the loss of contact with Flight 11. Why
was there a delay in the FAA notifying NORAD? Why was there a delay in
NORAD scrambling fighter jets? How is this possible when [North East Air
Defense System] was fully staffed with planes at the ready and monitoring
our Northeast airspace?"
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- "Serious questions remain regarding the breakdown
of air safety and defense procedures on September 11, 2001, and the witnesses
empanelled by the Commission for the current hearings cannot address them
fully," noted 9/11 CitizensWatch co-founder John Judge. "A thorough
investigation requires public testimony from pilots, ground crews, airport
security personnel, Air Force and Air National Guard base officers, air
controllers, FAA officers, and release of records, testimony and recordings
of communications that day between agencies, from planes to ground, and
from cell phone conversations," he noted. "These issues extend
beyond FAA and NORAD to those guarding the specially protected airspace
around Washington, DC (Triad and area P-56), and to security at the Pentagon
itself. We call on the Commission to hold future public hearings to take
extended testimony on this critical question," Judge said.
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- 9/11 CitizensWatch was founded to serve as a watchdog
group that will monitor the work of the independent National Commission
on Terrorist Acts Upon the United States. A citizen-led effort that unites
families of the victims of 9/11 with investigators and researchers who
have raised the unanswered questions about the events of that day and the
forces behind these attacks, as well as about the government responses
to them at home and abroad. 9/11 CitizensWatch also serves as a liaison
between these interested parties and the Commission staff.
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- 9/11 CitizensWatch
- P.O. Box 772, Washington, DC 20044
- 202 583-5347
- www.911citizenswatch.org
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