Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. issued a bizarre statement Friday, declaring that if elected president he would “not take sides” on the conspiracy theories surrounding the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and instead push for “transparency” surrounding that horrific day.
“My view on 9/11 is that it’s hard to tell what is a conspiracy theory and what isn’t. But when a government routinely lies to its people, conspiracy theories thrive,” Kennedy said. I wrote in X’s post.
“As president, I will not take sides on the 9/11 debate or anything else, but I can promise you that I will open the files and usher in a new era of transparency,” the third-party candidate added.
Kennedy, 70, said he posted the message in response to renewed debate about the deadly attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon after CBS News’ “60 Minutes” aired a video last month suggesting the Saudi Arabian government knew about or was complicit in the attacks that left about 3,000 people dead.
Relatives of 9/11 victims on Tuesday slammed President Biden and former President Donald Trump for failing to mention during the June 27 debate the existence of a 1999 video of a suspected Saudi Arabian spy filming the U.S. Capitol building months before al-Qaida leaders decided on their target.
The Capitol is thought to have been one of the potential targets on United Airlines Flight 93, which crashed in a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania, after a passenger stormed into the cockpit and terrorist hijackers took over the plane.
“Twenty-three years later, our government has failed to bring accountability, closure and justice. Our government has failed to stand strong against the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia,” Brett Eagleson, executive director of 9/11 Justice, said at a news conference in lower Manhattan.
The U.S. government claims that al-Qaida planned and carried out the attacks without support from any government.
Kennedy said Friday that the push for transparency would extend to other matters “where the government may be hiding something.”
“Trust in government is at an all-time low. To restore trust we need honesty and transparency. That’s my commitment. It will settle questions about 9/11, UAP and other controversial topics,” he said, using the official UFO jargon. “I am personally skeptical of these issues. My issue is transparency.”
Kennedy, the son of the late attorney general and New York senator, has an average national approval rating of 10.3%, according to a RealClearPolitics poll.
The independent candidate has previously said he believes the CIA was behind the Nov. 22, 1963 assassination of his uncle, President John F. Kennedy.
