For ads-free news, click here.
From the New York Post: Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin revoked plea deals on Friday that would have spared the death penalty for the accused mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks and two alleged accomplices.
In a memo, Austin, 70, announced that he relieved the official responsible for signing off on the plea agreements from authority and that he assumed control of the Convening Authority for Military Commissions.
“I have determined that, in light of the significance of the decision to enter into pre-trial agreements with the accused in the above-referenced case, responsibility for such a decision should rest with me as the superior convening authority under the Military Commissions Act of 2009,” Austin wrote.
“Effective immediately, I hereby withdraw your authority in the above-referenced case to
enter into a pre-trial agreement and reserve such authority to myself,” he continued.
“Effective immediately, in the exercise of my authority, I hereby withdraw from the three pre-trial agreements that you signed on July 31, 2024 in the above-referenced case.”
The three defendants, Khalid Shaikh Mohammad, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin ‘Attash, and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi, are accused of providing training, financial support and other assistance to the 19 terrorists who hijacked the four planes involved in the deadly attacks that killed nearly 3,000 people on September 11, 2001.
News of the plea deal earlier this week had prompted outrage from many, including the families of victims of the horrific terror attack.
See Austin’s letter below:
Secretary of Defense Memora… by Chris Scarglato
BREAKING: The Biden administration’s Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin has just revoked the plea deal of the 9/11 plotters. Austin has assumed direct oversight of the case and put capital punishment back on the table. pic.twitter.com/9df6p5SdZD
— Ian Miles Cheong (@stillgray) August 3, 2024
The reversal comes after House Oversight Chairman James Comer announced in a letter to Joe Biden Friday morning that he had launched an investigation into the plea deal, and was demanding answers.
🚨BREAKING🚨
Chairman Comer is investigating the Biden-Harris Administration’s role in negotiating a plea deal with three terrorists who plotted the 9/11 terrorist attacks that murdered nearly 3,000 people.
Statement from Comer:
“The Committee on Oversight and Accountability… pic.twitter.com/YJHdF9yFrt
— Oversight Committee (@GOPoversight) August 2, 2024
A massive number of lawmakers had voiced their outrage over the plea deal.
Former Vice President Mike Pence had also hotly condemned the deal, writing, “This is a travesty. There can be no justification for a plea deal with KSM. The mastermind of 9/11 claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 Americans. It’s already taken too long. These terrorist deserve the death penalty. Biden-Harris should direct military prosecutors to rescind the deal immediately. Justice Demands Nothing Less.”
This is a travesty. There can be no justification for a plea deal with KSM. The mastermind of 9/11 claimed the lives of nearly 3,000 Americans. It’s already taken too long. These terrorist deserve the death penalty. Biden-Harris should direct military prosecutors to rescind the… pic.twitter.com/9S3GryAO17
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) August 1, 2024
“The plea deal entered into by Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other perpetrators of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, and reactions from the families of those they killed, are stark reminders that the consequences of 9/11 continue to unfold.” Read the full statement by… pic.twitter.com/AFxKmlPUgq
— 9/11 Memorial & Museum (@Sept11Memorial) August 1, 2024
The Dennis Michael Lynch Podcast is available below, with the most recent on top. Never miss an episode. Subscribe to the show by downloading The DML News App or go to Apple Podcasts.
