GOP candidate Vivek Ramaswamy questioned on 9/11 conspiracy theory in tense exchange on CNN
WASHINGTON − In a tense exchange on CNN Tuesday, GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy was pressed about a conspiracy theory he previously floated about 9/11 and claimed he was misquoted despite the publication of an audio recording of his remarks.
Ramaswamy appeared on CNN host Kaitlan Collins’ show “The Source,” where he was asked to clarify remarks quoted in a recent article in The Atlantic. In his comments to The Atlantic, Ramaswamy made reference to questions about whether federal agents were involved in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks during a discussion of the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol.
“I think it is legitimate to say ‘How many police, how many federal agents were on the planes that hit the twin towers?'” Ramaswamy said. “Like, I think we want − maybe the answer is zero, probably is zero for all I know, right? I have no reason to think it was anything other than zero. But if we’re doing a comprehensive assessment of what happened on 9/11, we have a 9/11 commission, absolutely that should be an answer the public knows the answer to.”
The GOP presidential candidate insisted he was misquoted and taken out of context.
“What I said is on Jan. 6, I do believe that there were many federal agents in the field, and we deserve to know who they are,” he said. “On 9/11, what I’ve said is that the government lied.”
The Atlantic released audio from the interview Tuesday and a transcript of the exchange that revealed the quote used in the piece was accurate.
“We are grateful that The Atlantic released the audio after we repeatedly asked them to do so,” Tricia McLaughlin, a spokesperson for the campaign, told USA TODAY. But she said that “Vivek was taken badly out of context.”
“We continue to encourage The Atlantic to release more of the recording, rather than their carefully selected snippet, so that full context and reality is exposed,” McLaughlin said.
Ramaswamy told Collins he believes the government as well as the 9/11 commission established to investigate the attacks lied about Saudi Arabia’s involvement, referencing reports that President Joe Biden declassified in 2021.
Collins pressed Ramaswamy to clarify whether he believes Sept. 11 was an inside job, citing previous comments Ramaswamy made in which he reiterated his views that the government lied about the attacks.
Later in the interview, Ramaswamy told Collins he does not think the Sept. 11 attacks were an inside job but again said he doesn’t believe the government has told the truth.
“I think the government has systemically and for a very long time lied about 9/11,” he said.
“I am guilty as charged that I do not follow the establishment, super PAC, donor-approved script on these questions, but I am speaking truth grounded in fact at every step of the way.”
The 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon were the work of 19 al-Qaida conspirators who hijacked passenger jets departing from Boston, one from Newark, New Jersey, and one from outside Washington. They turned the planes into weapons as two slammed into and toppled the twin towers in New York, one struck the Pentagon and one, probably headed for the U.S. Capitol, crashed into a field in Shanksville, Pennsylvania.
The attacks, which killed nearly 3,000 people, have been the subject of numerous false theories that have circulated online.
Contributing: John Bacon
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