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Biden says he welcomes DOJ commitment to conduct a "fresh review" of 9/11 documents

09 August 2021
Dan Ackermann

President Joe Biden reiterated on Monday his campaign pledge to declassify documents pertaining to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, adding that he welcomed a new filing by the Department of Justice to conduct a "fresh review" of the available documents.

Why it matters: Biden's comments come days after families of the victims of the 9/11 attacks told the president in a statement to not attend next month's 20th-anniversary memorials unless he declassifies documents that they believe will show Saudi leaders supported the attacks.

  • "[W]e 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," the families wrote in the statement.
  • "Twenty years later, there is simply no reason — unmerited claims of 'national security' or otherwise — to keep this information secret," they added.

What he's saying: Biden on Monday said he is committed to "ensuring the maximum degree of transparency under the law."

  • "[I] welcome the Department of Justice’s filing today, which commits to conducting a fresh review of documents where the government has previously asserted privileges, and to doing so as quickly as possible," Biden said in a statement.
  • "I know well the all-consuming grief of losing someone you love so suddenly. I can only imagine the added pain these families have endured, spending 20 years pursuing accountability and justice," he added.
  • "My heart and my prayers continue to be with the 9/11 families who are suffering, and my Administration will continue to engage respectfully with members of this community."

9/11 Community United, a group for families and survivors of the attacks, reacted to Biden's statement by saying they appreciated that Biden acknowledged the "long-standing questions" surrounding Saudi Arabia’s involvement but called the president's words "half-hearted."

  • "This announcement is a necessary but insufficient step towards transparency, accountability and above all, justice," per the statement.

Editor's Note: This story has been updated.

Transcripts show George Floyd told police "I can't breathe" over 20 times

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Newly released transcripts of bodycam footage from the Minneapolis Police Department show that George Floyd told officers he could not breathe more than 20 times in the moments leading up to his death.

Why it matters: Floyd's killing sparked a national wave of Black Lives Matter protests and an ongoing reckoning over systemic racism in the United States. The transcripts "offer one the most thorough and dramatic accounts" before Floyd's death, The New York Times writes.

The state of play: The transcripts were released as former officer Thomas Lane seeks to have the charges that he aided in Floyd's death thrown out in court, per the Times. He is one of four officers who have been charged.

  • The filings also include a 60-page transcript of an interview with Lane. He said he "felt maybe that something was going on" when asked if he believed that Floyd was having a medical emergency at the time.

What the transcripts say:

  • Floyd told the officers he was claustrophobic as they tried to get him into the squad car.
  • The transcripts also show Floyd saying, "Momma, I love you. Tell my kids I love them. I'm dead."
  • Former officer Derek Chauvin, who had his knee on Floyd's neck for over eight minutes, told Floyd, "Then stop talking, stop yelling, it takes a heck of a lot of oxygen to talk."

Read the transcripts via DocumentCloud.