Please note!

This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Did President Biden pledge to change the government’s stance on disclosing additional evidence about the 9/11 attacks?

Saturday, August 7, 2021

By Jacob Alabab-Moser

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YES

In October 2020, a letter by then-presidential candidate Joe Biden pledged that his future administration’s attorney general would personally examine the merits of requests to release FBI information related to the 9/11 attacks. He said that he would adhere to Obama-era guidance that invokes state secrets privilege using a “narrowly tailored” approach, that is, only to the extent necessary to protect against the risk of “significant harm to national security” or “embarrassment to a person or organization.” The White House press secretary said in August 2021 that President Biden remains committed to this pledge.

A group of 9/11 survivors, victims’ family members and first responders have sought more disclosures about the attacks, specifically about the role of Saudi Arabian officials in assisting the hijackers. They have called on Biden to value “America’s citizens over diplomatic relations” with the country.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Biden for President Biden campaign letter, October 7, 2020

White House Press briefing by press secretary Jen Psaki, August 6, 2021

Members of the 9/11 community Statement by 9/11 families, August 6, 2021

CNBC 9/11 families ask Biden not to attend memorial events unless he declassifies documents on Saudis

ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTOR

Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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About fact briefs published on Gigafact

Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.