Republican lawmakers blast 9/11 architect plea deal: ‘Cowardice’

After the Biden administration announced a plea deal for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the alleged architect of the 9/11 attacks, and others, several notable Republican lawmakers lambasted the move, suggesting it was too soft for him and others involved.

Sens. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), Rick Scott (R-FL), Mike Lee (R-UT), and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) denounced the move soundly, along with several New York House Republicans.

“The Biden-Harris Administration’s cowardice in the face of terror is a national disgrace,” McConnell posted on X. “The plea deal with terrorists, including those behind the 9/11 attacks, is a revolting abdication of the government’s responsibility to defend America and provide justice.”

Mohammed and others received a plea deal with unknown details earlier Wednesday. President Joe Biden originally rejected the conditions of a plea deal in September.

“If you’re looking for weird, this is it,” Graham posted on X. “When you think it can’t get any worse, it just did. It is outrageous that the Biden-Harris Administration has entered into a plea deal with the mastermind of 9/11 and his accomplices…This decision is an outrage, shortsighted, and will only cause more problems for our country.” Scott said 9/11 terrorists “deserve nothing less than death” in response to the plea deal.

The 9/11 terrorist attacks caused nearly 3,000 deaths and contributed to the United States’s entry into the Iraq War. The effects of the attacks are still felt in 2024 as survivors grip with lingering health problems and families of those killed still grieve.

“Any plea deal with the terrorists responsible for killing thousands of Americans, including so many of my constituents, is unacceptable,” Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) posted on X. The congresswoman is the only House Republican representing a part of New York City. “We owe it to the victims, their families and those 9/11 heroes who continue to suffer and die from related illnesses to pursue the death penalty.”

The New York Post reported that Mohammed will not receive the death penalty as a result of the deal, and highlighted several families’ distraught reaction to it.

”I feel like I was kicked in the balls,” retired New York police officer Jim Smith, whose wife, Moira Smith, was the only female police officer killed in the terrorist attacks, told the outlet.

“The prosecution and families have waited for 23 years to have our day in court to put on the record what these animals did to our loved ones,” Jim Smith said.