Hillary Clinton twice on Monday refused to say whether she has seen the 28 pages redacted from the 9/11 Commission’s report which reportedly implicate Saudi Arabia in the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Clinton was with New York Sen. Chuck Schumer at a stop outside of Kung Fu Tea in Flushing when she was asked if she has seen the 28 pages whether they should be de-classified.
The former New York senator, who held that office from 2001 through 2009, dodged the question and said that the Obama administration “should take a hard look at them and determine whether that should be done consistent with national security.”
The issue of the 28 pages has received renewed attention as President Obama travels to Saudi Arabia this week. Earlier this month, “60 Minutes” reported that the 28 pages, which are redacted in full from the 838-page congressional report released in 2003, include information which shows that officials within the Saudi government may have helped some of the 9/11 attackers after they entered the U.S.
Schumer has introduced legislation — which is also supported by Texas Sen. [crscore]Ted Cruz[/crscore] — which would allow the families of 9/11 victims to sue the Saudi government if it is found to have contributed to the terrorists.
Clinton surprised ABC “This Week” host George Stephanopoulos on Sunday when she said that she was not familiar with Schumer’s bill. Hours later, her campaign issued a statement saying that she did back it. President Obama is still riding the fence on the legislation.
“Have you read those papers?” a reporter asked Clinton a second time on Monday.
“I am not commenting,” the Democrat responded.
There is nothing preventing Clinton from saying whether she has seen the redacted pages. Other former lawmakers who have viewed the documents have said so. It is unclear whether Clinton had the security clearance necessary to view the pages, though it is likely that she did.