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CNN Saturday Morning News
Saudi Arabia May Be Financially Linked to 9/11 Hijackers
Aired November 23, 2002 - 09:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KRIS OSBORN, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush's tour of Eastern European countries has taken him to Romania, where officials are dealing with reports that Saudi Arabia may be financially linked to two of the September 11 hijackers.
Senior White House correspondent John King joins us now live from Bucharest.
Now, John, regardless of how this plays out, at the very least, it can't be good for an already complicated relationship between the Saudi royal family and this administration.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kris, White House officials urging us and urging the American people not to rush to judgment. They do say the Saudi Arabian government, though, is cooperating, fully cooperating, the White House says, with an FBI investigation into whether two of the September 11 hijackers -- remember, 16 of the 19 were from Saudi Arabia -- the investigation centers on whether two of those men, while in California, received money that came through the Saudi Arabian government, initially from the Saudi Arabian government.
The Joint Intelligence Committees of Congress, the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, in their investigation of what happened on September 11 and what might have gone wrong in U.S. intelligence, have raised suspicions, and they say there is some evidence that two of the hijackers received money, a payment that came through the wife of the Saudi ambassador to the United States, money to them.
Now, the Saudi Arabian embassy in Washington, D.C., says it is cooperating fully. The White House says the Saudis are cooperating fully. But this comes at a time many in Congress already saying President Bush has been too close to the Saudi government, has not been aggressive enough in urging the Saudi government not only to crack down on terrorist financing but to crack down on fundamentalist activity in Saudi Arabia.
So potentially a controversy. The White House says don't rush to judgment.
OSBORN: John King, live from Bucharest, Romania, thank you very much.
KING: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired November 23, 2002 - 09:03 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KRIS OSBORN, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush's tour of Eastern European countries has taken him to Romania, where officials are dealing with reports that Saudi Arabia may be financially linked to two of the September 11 hijackers.
Senior White House correspondent John King joins us now live from Bucharest.
Now, John, regardless of how this plays out, at the very least, it can't be good for an already complicated relationship between the Saudi royal family and this administration.
JOHN KING, CNN SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kris, White House officials urging us and urging the American people not to rush to judgment. They do say the Saudi Arabian government, though, is cooperating, fully cooperating, the White House says, with an FBI investigation into whether two of the September 11 hijackers -- remember, 16 of the 19 were from Saudi Arabia -- the investigation centers on whether two of those men, while in California, received money that came through the Saudi Arabian government, initially from the Saudi Arabian government.
The Joint Intelligence Committees of Congress, the House and Senate Intelligence Committees, in their investigation of what happened on September 11 and what might have gone wrong in U.S. intelligence, have raised suspicions, and they say there is some evidence that two of the hijackers received money, a payment that came through the wife of the Saudi ambassador to the United States, money to them.
Now, the Saudi Arabian embassy in Washington, D.C., says it is cooperating fully. The White House says the Saudis are cooperating fully. But this comes at a time many in Congress already saying President Bush has been too close to the Saudi government, has not been aggressive enough in urging the Saudi government not only to crack down on terrorist financing but to crack down on fundamentalist activity in Saudi Arabia.
So potentially a controversy. The White House says don't rush to judgment.
OSBORN: John King, live from Bucharest, Romania, thank you very much.
KING: Thank you.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
