Politics means everything to Biden administration...was that behind Austin's reversal of 9/11 suspects' plea deals?

WASHINGTON, DC - Call us “conspiracy theorists,” but doesn’t the recent change of heart by the Biden administration to revoke a plea deal offered to September 11 terror suspects reek of something? The decision to offer the three 9/11 terrorists, including plot mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed a plea deal was slammed by all but the most partisan liberal hacks. Less than 48 hours later, that decision was reversed by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin, as reported by the Daily Caller News Foundation. 

While the decision to revoke the plea deal is obviously the right decision, something doesn’t smell right. Given the fact that the Biden administration doesn’t do anything unless it benefits them politically, one might expect that Democrat presidential candidate Kamala Harris will somehow get credit for the reversal. 

The plea deals worked out would have allowed Mohammed and two others to avoid the death penalty in exchange for pleading guilty to all charges. When that deal was announced, family members of 9/11 victims slammed the decision and called it an insult to the nearly 3,000 innocent people killed at the World Trade Center towers, the Pentagon, and on United Flight 93. In addition, the World Trade Center Health Program (WTCHP) has reported an additional 1,966 deaths from 9/11-related aerodigestive disorders and 1,903 deaths from related cancer among first responders, according to sources. 

In reversing the decision, Austin said that “responsibility for such a decision should rest with [him]” instead of subordinates given the “significance of the government taking the death penalty off the table for terrorists” who were responsible for thousands of murders. 

“For me and a lot of the families, this is a very welcomed change in their position. The biggest fear that I had, and a lot of family members had, was what could happen with these three individuals without a death penalty,” said Terry Strada, whose husband died on Sept. 11 only days after their third child was born, to the DCNF after Austin reversed course. 

“Wherever they would be held for a life sentence, any administration going forward could possibly use them in a prisoner trade deal. The death penalty is the right thing for them to face because of the crime they committed. So, I’m very happy to hear that the Pentagon has stepped in and is doing the right thing.” 

Strada was likely referring to the Biden administration, which has a history of swapping high-profile criminals, including Victor Bout, the so-called “Merchant of Death,” who was swapped for WNBA player Brittney Griner in 2022. 

Strada had previously told the DCNF that the original plea deal was like a “betrayal.” 

In Austin’s same order, he also relieved the Guantanamo Bay overseer of his duties, the New York Times reported. 

Another wife of a 9/11 victim, Brinley Maloney, told the DCNF that she was hopeful after receiving word of Austin overturning the plea deal. 

“We remain hopeful that these animals get the death penalty. I can’t understand why we would ever be negotiating with terrorists,” Maloney, whose husband was killed on 9/11, said. “Hopefully, politicians aren’t making this decision because it’s election season. All Americans should stand united in calling for accountability and justice.” 

Seems like Ms. Maloney is thinking the same thing LET is. 

When initially informed of the plea deals, Maloney told the DCNF that they were a “disappointment to my family and all of the 9/11 families.” Her daughter meanwhile, who was only a toddler when her father was killed, told DCNF the agreements were “disgusting and incredibly disappointing” prior to them being walked back. 

The White House initially claimed it had no knowledge of the plea deals prior to Austin intervening, but that makes little sense. Both the National Security Council via a spokesman and White House mouthpiece Karine Jean Pierre claimed “the White House played no role in this process.” It would appear to stretch belief that three suspects involved in the worst terrorist attack on U.S. soil in history received a plea deal with no input from the White House. 

When the original plea deals were announced, Republicans and some in the media slammed the move, calling it a “disgrace.” 

Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) posted on X that the plea deal was “unacceptable” while highlighting the number of victims, including those “who continue to suffer and die from related illnesses.” 

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) slammed the White House for “weakness in the face of America’s enemies. 

“The plea deal with terrorists–including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the 9/11 attacks that killed thousands of Americans–is a revolting abdication of the government’s responsibility to defend America and provide justice,” the New York Post reported. 

“Meanwhile the Biden-Harris Administration still seeks to release other Guantanamo terrorists back into the world. The Administration’s cowardice in the face of terror is a national disgrace.” 

Frank Siller’s brother Stephen, a New York City firefighter, was among those killed at the Twin Towers. Siller founded the Tunnels to Towers Foundation, a charity that supports families of first responders and military members who are killed or injured in the line of duty. Siller called the initial deals a “slap in the face” in a statement shared with DCNF prior to Austin’s reversal. 

Don Arias, a retired Air Force lieutenant whose brother was killed on Sept. 11, told the New York Times prior to Austin’s reversal:

“After 9/11, we all said, ‘Never forget.’ Well, we forgot. And not only did we forget, we don’t give a damn anymore. A lot of people just want this over with.” 

One would think that nearly 23 years after the 9/11 attacks, this would indeed be “over with.” Yet here we are. The speed at which the American justice system moves for some and not for all is a joke. It should not take this long to put someone such as Mohammed and the others to death. Only until that is done will these victims be able to get some closure, if that is even possible. 

One person who has suffered from a politically-motivated decision is Joe Connor, who not only lost a cousin on 9/11, but also had his father killed by Puerto Rican terrorists several decades ago. He slammed the proposed plea deals prior to their being overturned. 

“You know, after seeing this, like, I’m so afraid we’re not going to get justice for my cousin and all the thousands killed that day and their families. My dad’s terrorists, the FALN, they were released. They were given clemency by the Clintons and Obama,’ Connor told Fox News. “It’s all politics and it concerned me then that we were going to have these guys somehow end up in a U.S. prison. It concerns me that someone’s going to use politics to release these guys.”