Terry Strada, national chair of 9/11 Families United, told Newsmax on Friday that the White House's claim that it was not involved in the Justice Department plea deal for three accused 9/11 terrorists being held at Guantanamo Bay is "ridiculous."
"The death penalty was there for a reason," Strada said during an appearance on "Wake Up America." "They were being held or going to be held accountable in a trial for murdering nearly 3,000 Americans on American soil. The punishment fit the crime. Why would you take that off the table? This is exactly what Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the other two co-conspirators wanted. So, you're giving them what they want, they're getting a victory, and the families are getting kicked in the gut again."
Strada, whose husband died in the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001, also disputed White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre's claim that President Joe Biden honors the families who lost loved ones on that day each year.
"How dare she say that he honors us every year," Strada said. "He went to Alaska last year. He didn't show up at a single memorial, and he said nothing to us. He met with troops in Alaska, so he doesn't honor us every year. And to say, again, that they had nothing to do with it [the plea deal] just doesn't pass the smell test. He is the commander in chief. This is a military tribunal. The DOD [Department of Defense] and the DOJ [Department of Justice], don't they all report back to the administration? So, it's just a ridiculous claim to be making, and I don't even understand why. You know, take some ownership for what you do once in a while. He actually came out earlier in the year and said he was against this. So, now you're telling us that they all went against what the president wanted? I don't believe any of this."
When she heard the news about the plea deal, Strada said she felt "physically horrible," describing it as "a gut punch."
"You feel the blood just starting to drain from your face and you feel, almost physically ill that a plea deal was struck," she said. "We were not considered. No one spoke to us about it. We had no warning about it, and we just heard about it like everybody else."
The 9/11 Families United chair also said that the Biden administration "has been actively blocking legislation over the past 12 months in Congress."
"They've been holding secret meetings with the ambassador to the Kingdom [of Saudi Arabia], asking or actually telling our legislators to not pass legislation that will hold the kingdom accountable in a court of law," she said. "So, I would say, 'Mr. President, first of all, take your goons back out of the legislative branch because you're not supposed to be reaching over like that and demanding how legislation is enacted in our country.' … But what I would really say to him is 'what is happening with that evidence now? Where is it going to go? Are you going to give it to our counsel and allow us to see it?' … Everyone deserves to know the truth and they have to stop hiding it from us."
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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