In the second to last tweet in a 12-tweet thread listing the justification for the drone strike on Qasem Soleimani, Vice President Mike Pence listed the now-dead Iranian General to the 9/11 attack, saying he “assisted in the clandestine travel to Afghanistan of 10 of the 12 terrorists who carried out the September 11 terrorists attacks in the United States”:

Assisted in the clandestine travel to Afghanistan of 10 of the 12 terrorists who carried out the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States. — Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) January 3, 2020

Well, this won’t go over well:

Wait is Pence really linking Soleimani to 9/11? https://t.co/dQMDxymfBy — Tim Dickinson (@7im) January 3, 2020

I am now completely convinced we are being lied to because "also he kinda helped do 9/11" means the administration doesn't have a real reason. https://t.co/2LPJVQWfGQ — Kaili Joy Gray (@KailiJoy) January 3, 2020

My head just exploded https://t.co/jVtwdWOSB7 — Paul Szoldra (@PaulSzoldra) January 3, 2020

First up, there were 19, not 12 9/11 terrorists (and we’re pretty sure VP Pence knows this):

There were 19 terrorist attackers on 9/11. 15 Saudis, 2 from the UAE, 1 Egyptian, 1 from Lebanon. https://t.co/jQetqlrnwv — David Martosko (@dmartosko) January 3, 2020

It looks like what he’s quoting from is the 9/11 report which says, “[W]e now have evidence suggesting that 8 to 10 of the 14 Saudi ‘muscle’ operatives traveled into or out of Iran between October 2000 and February 2001”:

So, there were 19 hijackers. And the 9/11 report says only this: "[W]e now have evidence suggesting that 8 to 10 of the 14 Saudi 'muscle' operatives traveled into or out of Iran between October 2000 and February 2001." (p. 240) https://t.co/orXEBKDBRc https://t.co/6OqPBKybGK — Blake News (@blakehounshell) January 3, 2020

The report also said there was no evidence Iran “was aware of the planning for what later became the 9/11 attack,” but that doesn’t mean VP Pence’s tweet is inaccurate as it’s plausible Soleimani did have role in getting these “muscle” hijackers safe passage through Iran:

The 9/11 Commission Report references travel by 8-10 Al Qaeda operatives between Oct 2000-Feb 2001, but makes clear: "We have found no evidence that Iran or Hezbollah was aware of the planning for what later became the 9/11 attack." See pp. 240-241. https://t.co/zqQquVGZS4 https://t.co/yZgcmUatqx — Max Kennerly (@MaxKennerly) January 3, 2020

And here’s CNN’s Daniel Dale raining on everyone’s parade:

Pence is brazenly lying because he knows he won't get called out on it. https://t.co/G6qpZtDDHr — Jeet Heer (@HeerJeet) January 3, 2020

The essence isn’t a lie, though “12” is obviously wrong. 9/11 Commission found evidence that “8 to 10” of the Saudi hijackers went through Iran in 2000-2001; Commisison said there is “strong evidence” Iran facilitated their Afghanistan travel, though didn’t know of the plot. — Daniel Dale (@ddale8) January 3, 2020

After taking some heat for that tweet, Dale added:

In my view, the essence of this claim is that Iran facilitated the travel to Afghanistan of 9/11 hijackers. The 9/11 Commission said there is strong evidence that is true. Pence’s claim may still be misleading, but it’s not a lie. — Daniel Dale (@ddale8) January 3, 2020

And:

Yeah – I don’t think a “fact check” is the best way to handle such a claim. (I’m certainly not doing a “fact check: true.”) I’m just saying he didn’t make this up. — Daniel Dale (@ddale8) January 3, 2020

As for the rest of VP Pence’s thread, there’s more than enough justification for President Trump’s ordered action:

Yesterday, President @realDonaldTrump took decisive action and stood up against the leading state sponsor of terror to take out an evil man who was responsible for killing thousands of Americans. Soleimani was a terrorist. Here are some of his worst atrocities: — Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) January 3, 2020

Organized the attempted assassination of the Saudi ambassador to the United States in Washington, DC in 2011, overseeing a terrorist attack attempt on American soil. — Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) January 3, 2020

Provided advanced deadly explosively formed projectiles, advanced weaponry, training, and guidance to Iraqi insurgents used to conduct attacks on U.S. and coalition forces; directly responsible for the death of 603 U.S. service members, along with thousands of wounded. — Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) January 3, 2020

Directed the sophisticated January 20, 2007, attack on the Provincial Joint Coordination Center in Karbala, Iraq, in which five captured U.S. soldiers were executed. — Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) January 3, 2020

In Afghanistan, Soleimani oversaw the IRGC’s financial, logistical, and military support to the Taliban and sponsors attacks on Coalition forces. — Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) January 3, 2020

Provided missiles and other advanced weapons to terrorists throughout the Middle East, including Lebanese Hizballah, Kata’ib Hizballah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, HAMAS, and the Taliban, who use these weapons to target and kill innocents. — Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) January 3, 2020

Directed IRGC QF terrorist plots to bomb innocent civilians in Turkey and Kenya in 2011. — Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) January 3, 2020

Continued support to the murderous regime in Syria, aiding and abetting Assad’s brutal abuses against the Syrian people. — Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) January 3, 2020

In Yemen, the Qods Force, under Soleimani’s leadership, has orchestrated and enabled the launch of missiles that have resulted in the deaths of dozens of people in the region. Targets have included civilian airports in Saudi Arabia. — Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) January 3, 2020

Assisted in the clandestine travel to Afghanistan of 10 of the 12 terrorists who carried out the September 11 terrorist attacks in the United States. — Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) January 3, 2020

Soleimani was plotting imminent attacks on American diplomats and military personnel. The world is a safer place today because Soleimani is gone. — Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) January 3, 2020

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