Did Kristol on Fox say Saudi flight from FL on day after? Snope debunks.

[madfloridian]

I thought I heard William Kristol on Brit Hume panel mention the Saudi family being allowed to leave without questions on the day after September 11, and I thought I heard the word 12th.

Snopes debunks this. Did I hear right? Is Snopes wrong? Anyone else hear this?
http://www.snopes.com/rumors/flight.htm

I watching between 9 and 10 EST, and I don't see that on the Faux schedule. They show Pat Sajak. But I saw a show with Graham being interviewed, then that panel with Hume. I must need more coffee.

:shrug:

[The Backlash Cometh]

1. Mincing words:

"Yes, a couple of flights arranged by the Saudi government did collect a number of Osama bin Laden's America-based relatives and whisk them to Saudi Arabia in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks, but this didn't take place during the FAA-imposed ban on air travel in the US. The two flights in question took wing on September 18 and 19, days after the ban on air travel was lifted."

They flew the bin Ladens out of the country within a week of the incident. You would think that the FBI would have wanted to hold onto them for questioning.

On Edit: Where I would disagree with snoops, is that letting the bin Ladens go was not a prudent move. No matter how the FBI interrogated them beforehand, we still didn't have enough information to justify their departure. There were too many unanswered questions and you don't let people leave town until the investigation has a firm direction.

[Chicagonian]

2. something snopes doesn't address

"...No flights took bin Laden family members out of the USA "two days" after the September 11 attacks. The flights Moore decries took place a week after the attacks, and they left only after the FAA had allowed regular passenger air travel to resume."

yes, no flights took the family out of the U.S., but a couple flights within the U.S. on Sep. 12, under the auspices of the FBI, positioned family members into Boston and NYC so that they could leave the country when the ban was lifted.

[Cha]

5. Ah Ha! That must have been what we heard.

It's good enough. They're still Gone! Like thieves in the night.

[madfloridian]

4. Thanks, was just surprised to hear Kristol mention it.

He did not sound like he thought it was later. Semantics are tiring.
:hi:

It is not that important to the overall picture, it just sounded so strange for him to bring it up.

[Spazito]

3. Here is an article that says they were flown to Texas first......

http://www.canoe.ca/CNEWSAttack010929/30_bin-ap.html

[hedda_foil]

6. As I recall, they were the first plane out of the first airport opened

Here's what the AP article which cites the Times (looks like The Times of London) has to say about it. And when you read it closely, it's apparent that they had to be flown to Texas during the period when the airports were closed.

Most of bin Laden's relatives were attending high school and college. The young members of the bin Laden family were driven or flown under FBI supervision to a secret place in Texas and then to Washington, The Times reported Sunday. They left the country on a private charter plane when airports reopened three days after the attacks

[Pepperbelly]

7. Sometimes Snopes makes calls that aren't justified by the evidence ...

when the true call would be that the facts of the incident are in dispute.