9/11 widow calls on Trump to hold Saudis accountable for role in attacks
Cheers erupted during the Manhattan ceremony after Terry Strada, who lost her husband Tom on 9/11, condemned Saudi Arabia for its alleged role in the terrorist attacks.
"You are missed more with every day that passes, but how can it be 25 years and we have no justice for the role that Saudi Arabia played in your murder," she said of her husband.
As ABC News reported last week, a coalition of victims’ families are suing the Saudi government over its alleged role and have continued to pursue evidence they say points to deep Saudi complicity. The Saudis deny that claim and are fighting the suit in court.
The Saudis have repeatedly denied having any role in facilitating the attacks and replied in court that they remain "an ally of the United States [and] a sworn enemy of Al Qaeda."
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly told ABC News last week that, "President Trump is leading the most transparent administration in history, and his team is working diligently to identify records that are responsive to these families' request."
Strada called out "administration after administration" for choosing "to protect the Saudis instead of standing with the 9/11 families."
"President Trump can still change that. Tell the Saudis to stop lying," she said.
Strada finished her speech by talking directly to Vice President JD Vance, who was in attendance, and told him to carry that message to the president.
"Stand with survivors, stand with Americans," she said. "As my husband Tom would have said, that is always the right thing to do. God bless all of us. God bless America."
-ABC News' Lucien Bruggeman and Aaron Katersky
