We Didn’t Know About 9/11 Plea Deal Until Yesterday, Can’t Comment on It

During a Thursday broadcast of Fox News Channel’s “Special Report,” White House national security communications adviser John Kirby said the plea deals for three defendants accused of involvement in the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, including alleged mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, “were developed by an independent military convening authority. The White House was unaware of the deals or the process that led to them until yesterday.” And the White House could not say anything more about the deals other than to say that its national security team will discuss them with the Pentagon.

Host Bret Baier said: [relevant exchange begins around 4:40] “I want to change the subject. This is a 9/11 plea deal. … John, there are a lot of reactions to this plea deal. It’s a plea deal to avoid the death penalty. These are the masterminds and planners of 9/11, the murders of about 3,000 Americans.”

Kirby responded, “This was orchestrated by an independent military convening agency. The White House did not know about this transaction or the process that led to it until yesterday. The President has directed his national security team to contact individuals and leaders at the Department of Defense as necessary to discuss this matter further. There is limited other thing I can say on this at this time, but obviously we did not know about this until yesterday. The President wants his team to speak with the Department of Defense as necessary.”