The White House is facing backlash online after praising Saudi Arabia on the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks.
In a tweet on Monday, National Security Council Spokesperson Adrienne Watson applauded the foreign regime after it committed tens of billions of dollars towards the Partnership for Global Infrastructure (PGI).
“We welcome this weekend’s announcement by Saudi Arabia committing $20 billion to support President Biden’s signature initiative, the Partnership for Global Infrastructure (PGI),” Watson tweeted.
The initiative, spearheaded by President Joe Biden, seeks to spur economic growth in low- and middle-income countries with investments in infrastructure.
But users on X were quick to label the tweet as out-of-touch given the day’s date.
“Posting on 9/11 and 20 minutes after the first tower fell,” one user wrote. “Just incredible timing.”
Saudi Arabia has long been accused of helping to fund and assist the 9/11 terror attacks. Of the 19 Al Qaeda members involved in hijacking the four commercial airliners that day, 15 were citizens of Saudi Arabia.
The Biden administration also declassified in 2021 a 16-page FBI report that showed apparent links between Saudi nationals in the U.S. and numerous hijackers. Saudi Arabia continues to deny any involvement in the terror attack.
Nevertheless, the White House is being blasted for either not caring or having no self-awareness regarding the tweet.
“Great tweet for 9/11,” wrote Chuck Ross, a journalist for the Washington Free Beacon.
The tweet comes just three days after Bloomberg reported on allegations from Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) that Biden’s Deputy Assistant Brett McGurk was actively working against the interests of the families of 9/11 victims in order to curry favor with Saudi Arabia.
The victims’ families for years have attempted to convince Congress to strengthen a law aimed at allowing U.S. citizens to sue foreign governments that funded or aided terrorist attacks. Their efforts so far have failed to convince lawmakers to support the initiative.
“Probably not the best day to announce an infrastructure deal with the Saudis,” another user wrote.
Thus far, the White House has not commented on the growing backlash to the tweet. Watson has not made any other tweets since.
