The House Oversight Committee has informed President Biden of its plans to investigate his administration’s role in a plea deal that allowed the mastermind behind the September 11, 2001, terror attacks and two other terrorists to avoid the death penalty.
In a letter sent on Friday, Committee Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) stated that the timeline of the plea agreement negotiations falls entirely within the Biden Administration. However, the White House Security Council said President Biden played no role in the talks.
Comer criticized the administration for allowing the terrorists to avoid the death penalty, stating that it signals to enemies that the United States is not fully committed to pursuing justice against those who attack the nation.
The Oversight Committee has requested all records related to the agreement, including any potential communications between the White House and the Pentagon, by August 16, covering the period from Biden taking office.
The Office of Military Commissions confirmed that it had entered into pre-trial agreements with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the architect of the al Qaeda attacks, and alleged co-conspirators Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin Attash and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi. The three, who have been held in Guantánamo Bay since 2003, were spared the death penalty after pleading guilty to the killing of at least 2,976 people in the 9/11 attacks. The letter announcing this decision was sent to the victims’ families.
In his letter to the president, Comer referred to a report by The Post, quoting retired cop Kathy Vigiano, widow of NYPD Detective Joseph Vigiano, expressing her disappointment in the judicial system allowing the terrorists responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans, to avoid harsher punishment.
In a Thursday press briefing, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan stated that the White House had no involvement in the process. He emphasized that upon learning of the agreement, the president directed his team to consult with officials and lawyers at the Department of Defense with these ongoing consultations. It’s uncertain where Mohammed, Attash, and al Hawsawi will serve their life sentences, especially considering Congress’s restrictions on transferring Mohammed to the US mainland since 2018.
