RFK Jr. Offers Up ‘My Take On 9/11’ — And Oof
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. wrapped up what’s been a tumultuous week for his presidential campaign by offering an eyebrow-raising statement on conspiracy theories surrounding the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The independent candidate said Friday on X, formerly Twitter, that he “won’t take sides on 9/11” if he’s elected to the White House.
Instead, he pledged to “usher in a new era of transparency” around the attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and on the Pentagon outside Washington, D.C., that killed nearly 3,000 people.
“My take on 9/11: It’s hard to tell what is a conspiracy theory and what isn’t. But conspiracy theories flourish when the government routinely lies to the public,” Kennedy wrote, suggesting that he hopes to “open the files” related to the attacks.
In a pair of follow-up posts, Kennedy explained that he was referring to a recent “60 Minutes” segment that probed “possible Saudi involvement in 9/11, sparking all kinds of speculation on X.”
“Speculation about what our government may be covering up is rife outside the mainstream of our political culture,” he wrote, adding that trust in the government is low.
“The way to restore that trust is through honesty and transparency. That is my promise, and that is what will resolve any questions about 9/11, UAPs, and other contentious topics,” he said, using a term for unidentified anomalous phenomena, more commonly known as UFOs.
He went on to note: “I am personally agnostic on those issues. My issue is TRANSPARENCY.”
Earlier this week, some families of Sept. 11. victims called out President Joe Biden and his Republican rival, former President Donald Trump, for not addressing a recently released video in which Omar al-Bayoumi, identified by the FBI as a Saudi intelligence operative, appears to scope out U.S. landmarks in 1999, around the time that Sept. 11 planners were thought to be deciding on targets. The footage was notably included in the “60 Minutes” segment.
Kennedy seemingly hinted at his Sept. 11. skepticism last fall during an appearance on the “In the Room With Peter Bergen” podcast.
“I don’t know what happened on 9/11,” he said at the time. “I understand what the official explanation is. I understand that there is dissent. I have not looked into it. I haven’t examined it. I’m not a good person to talk to about it.”