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Assistance to the bin Laden family
Summary
No, they didn't leave the country while the flight ban was in effect. But some 140 Saudis, including two dozen members of Osama bin Laden's own family, were allowed to fly domestically by private jet on September 13 to regroup and then fly out of the country once the FAA reinstated overseas flights.
This movement had to have been authorized by the White House and these people were never properly questioned.
This movement had to have been authorized by the White House and these people were never properly questioned.
Source: Vanity Fair, October 2003 and Marrs, p. 19-20
Analysis
It stinks, but I don't think it necessarily stinks of conspiracy. To me, it mainly stinks of money and favors. These are friends of all the oil people in the Bush administration, and they were not going to be popular here. So he helps them get out.
It stinks vis-a-vis 9/11 mainly because some of these people should have been thoroughly questioned since they had obvious connections to Osama bin Laden. Some people claim they were questioned, but it seems this was very superficial, under severe constraints "on the tarmac" as they were leaving. But since it can be explained by ordinary greed and corruption, even though it did hamper the investigation I can't count it as very suspicious as conspiracy fodder.
It stinks vis-a-vis 9/11 mainly because some of these people should have been thoroughly questioned since they had obvious connections to Osama bin Laden. Some people claim they were questioned, but it seems this was very superficial, under severe constraints "on the tarmac" as they were leaving. But since it can be explained by ordinary greed and corruption, even though it did hamper the investigation I can't count it as very suspicious as conspiracy fodder.
Bottom line, me, I give it:
Discussion
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People's Court
Quotes
The FBI succeeded in identifying people and going through their passports. But, in many cases, you had the FBI meeting people for the first time on the tarmac or on the planes themselves as they were departing. That was not time for a serious interview or a serious interrogation...But the key is not when they left the country. The key is when they got into American airspace, which was locked down. And the first flight I was able to document was on September 13. At 10:57 a.m. on that day, the FAA put out a notice saying all private planes could not fly. And yet a Learjet took off from Tampa just a couple hours later and landed in Lexington, Kentucky... The entire process required White House approval... I did talk to various people in the FBI. And they said there was not a serious vetting process, that they identified people, but they did not interrogate or interview them.
-- Craig Unger of Vanity Fair, interviewed by Paula Zahn on CNN, September 4, 2003
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