Background
Writing on September 5, 2003, for The Hindu, Sridhar Krishnaswami said that the White House had approved the evacuation of the Saudi nationals. [6]
"In an admission that has raise [sic] eyebrows on Capitol Hill, officials at the White House are said to have approved a plan to evacuate scores of prominent Saudi Arabian nationals in this country, including members of the Osama bin Laden family in the aftermath of the terror attacks of September 11, 2001.
Former White House advisor Richard Clarke was quoted in the September 4, 2003, The New York Times "as saying that he agreed with the plan because the Federal Bureau of Investigation had informed him that the Saudi nationals departing were not linked to terrorism; and the White House feared retribution for the terrorist hijackings if they stayed back in the U.S." [7]
"Many prominent Saudi nationals left this country soon after 9/11, with the knowledge of the FBI. But it is the first time that information is coming that the White House and senior administration officials had approved the plan.
Clarke spoke "of the involvement of the White House in the departure of prominent Saudi nationals, including relatives of Osama, ... several weeks after a Congressional Inquiry Report on 9/11 that ... raised a political storm. Some 28 pages of the report remain classified and much of the material is said to be about the involvement of foreign governments -- mainly Saudi Arabia -- in the events of 9/11.
See Congressional Joint Inquiry into Intelligence Community Activities Before and After the Terrorist Attacks of September 11, 2001.
"The Saudi Government has denied any role in the 9/11 events and has publicly called on the Bush administration to de-classify this section of the Congressional report, a request that has been quickly rejected by the U.S. President, George W. Bush.
Clarke's "admission of the role by the White House in the departure of some 140 Saudi nationals" led to the call from Senator Schumer "for an internal investigation by the White House on the matter," as Schumer suspected that "some of those who left hurriedly, including two relatives of Osama, may have had links to terror outfits and, therefore, could have shed light on terror attacks."
Schumer said: "This is just another example of our country coddling the Saudis and giving them special privileges that others would never get. It's almost as if we didn't want to find out what links existed." A spokesman for the FBI "insisted that there was nothing to indicate that the people who left could have been of further assistance and that no 'additional courtesies' were extended to this group that would not have been available to others."
http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php?title=September_11,_2001:_Evacuation_of_Saudi_Nationals
"White House" = George W. Bush
"Bush Administration" = George W. Bush
Are you saying that George W. Bush was not in charge during this time? Who gave the order? Because whomever did is getting their ass covered big time by George W. Bush.
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