The 9/11 Commission released its long-awaited report on the terrorist attacks that reshaped the world on Saturday.
While the report was supposed to provide a comprehensive account of the events, omissions have sparked controversy and renewed questions about the role of figures behind the scenes. One glaring omission is the connection between Marvin Bush, brother of then-President George W. Bush, and his involvement with StrataSec, the security firm responsible for safeguarding locations during the attacks.
StrataSec, formerly known as Securicom, managed security for the World Trade Center, Dulles International Airport (where Flight 93 originated), and United Airlines. These were all pivotal points, where the security breakdowns on 9/11 occurred.
StrataSec’s contract also extended to Los Alamos National Labs, one of the few sites capable of producing the nano-thermite residue found in the Ground Zero debris. Adding to the controversy, in the days leading up to the attacks, bomb-sniffing dogs were pulled from the World Trade Center.
The decision, made by Securacom just five days before the attacks, removed critical protection from the buildings. Remarkably, StrataSec dissolved and was delisted just four months after the 9/11 attacks.
Another oversight in the Commission’s report is the involvement of Osama Bin Laden’s family, including his brother, who met with former President George H.W. Bush on the morning of the attacks. While this connection has been downplayed, it highlights the web of relationships and interests during one of America’s darkest days.
The events of 9/11 also cast a spotlight on Pentagon finances. On September 10, 2001, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld announced that $2.3 trillion was missing from the Pentagon’s budget. The next day, the accounting department at the Pentagon was destroyed by a plane in the attacks, further complicating investigations into the financial discrepancies.
Meanwhile, just days after the attacks, plans were in motion to invade Iraq. On September 20, 2001, General Wesley Clark was informed that the U.S. had a list of seven countries, including Iraq, Syria, and Iran, as future military targets.
The plan, regardless of Iraq’s lack of involvement in 9/11, set the stage for long-lasting wars in the Middle East. Many of these nations have since been destabilized or invaded, including Iraq and Libya.
Domestically, the attacks gave rise to the controversial Patriot Act, which severely weakened Fourth Amendment protections and expanded the government’s surveillance powers. Critics have drawn comparisons to historical moments of power consolidation, such as the Reichstag Fire Decree in Nazi Germany.
The media also faced suppression, as anti-Iraq War voices, like MSNBC’s Phil Donahue, were silenced, ostensibly for low ratings. However, leaked memos suggested his opposition to the war conflicted with network interests.
Vice President Dick Cheney, another central figure in the post-9/11 era, oversaw air traffic control operations at NORAD during the attacks. His former company, Halliburton, later secured $40 billion in government contracts during the Iraq War, raising concerns about profiteering from our national tragedy.
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