The CIA just released a report on Saudi ties to 9/11 and every page except one is redacted

The CIA decided to dump a declassified version of a huge 2005 report related to what the agency learnt in the aftermath of 9/11 at the end of working hours on Friday. As one does.

The documents from the CIA Office of Inspector General (OIG) are related to the Agency's performance failures in the lead-up to the attacks. They were finally released in response to repeated Freedom of Information Act requests over the years.

The last section is chapter titled “Issues Relating to Saudi Arabia.” It has long been suspected that Saudi Arabian government may have been involved in supporting Al-Qaeda, but as Gawker points out, the US has an incentive to keep that information secret thanks to its "special relationship" with the gulf kingdom and its oil.

So what have we finally learned about Saudi ties to the attacks? Out of all 30 pages of the chapter, less than one page has actually been declassified.

Here's the subsection on who was accountable:

And the implications that has:

This is the only unredacted text in its entirety, which concludes that the CIA didn't find any "reliable reporting confirming Saudi Government involvement with and financial support for terrorism."

Assessment of the finding

Many of the points of this finding relate to the investigative efforts on the Saudi intelligence presence in the United States and of Saudi officials’ contacts with terrorists in the country, and, as such, the Office of Inspector General (OIG) 9/11 Review Team defers consideration of these to the Department of Justice and the FBI. The Team lacks access to the full range of investigative materials in FBI possession and is therefore unable to either concur or dissent on those points. In addition, the Team encountered no evidence that the Saudi Government knowingly and willingly supported al-Qa’ida terrorists. Individuals in both the Near East Division (NE) and the Counterterrorist Center [REDACTED] told the Team they had not seen any reliable reporting confirming Saudi Government involvement with and financial support for terrorism prior to 9/11, although a few also speculated that dissident sympathizers within the government may have aided al-Qa’ida. A January 1999 Directorate of Intelligence (DI) Office of Transnational Issues Intelligence Report on Bin Ladin’s finances indicated that “limited” reporting suggested that “a few Saudi Government officials” may support Usama Bin Ladin (UBL) but added that the reporting was “too sparse to determine with any accuracy” such support. None of the Saudi Government officials named in that report was a member of a... [Redacted]

Nothing to see here, folks. Move along. Isn't it great to be reminded how the world's greatest democracy functions?

You can take a look at the full trove of documents here.

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