For well over a decade, the withheld pages of the 9/11 Commission report have been a point of debate. Was there more to the official story? Was the official story actually wrong? There was a great deal of speculation in regards to the content, but never the validation of its contents. Now over the last few years, there has been an increased push in Washington D.C. for the release of the 28 pages.

Congressman Thomas Massie read the pages prior to their release and noted withholding the contents threaten national security. But why would they threaten national security? They’re just pages of information.

But with the release of the information, we can see. The contents are both groundbreaking and shocking.

There were ties to Saudi Arabian Prince Bandar, longtime Saudi Arabian ambassador to the United States. Prince Bandar had a close relationship with the Bush family, even visiting the family vacation spot in Kennebunkport, Maine and earning the nickname “Bandar Bush.”

This is alarming given just what the secretive 28 pages noted. FBI files show Omar al-Bayoumi, a Saudi Arabian agent, provided “substantial assistance” to 9/11 hijackers Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al-Hazmi after their arrival in San Diego, California in February 2000. al-Bayoumi at the time was also receiving large salary increases from a Saudi defense front company tied to Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda. A close associate of al-Bayoumi was also Osama Bassnan, a Saudi Arabian intelligence officer who handled the 9/11 hijackers.

FBI and CIA documents show that Shayk Fahad al-Thumairy, a Saudi Arabian consular official in Los Angeles, had regularly been in contact with al-Bayoumi ahead of the arrival of the 9/11 hijackers. This contact includes dozens of phone conversations and at least one meeting.

A Saudi Arabian interior ministry official stayed in the same Herndon, Virginia hotel as the 9/11 hijackers the night before the attack. After initially interviewing Saleh al-Hussayen, the FBI felt he had deceived them about even knowing the hijackers, but were unable to interview him again. Dozens of Saudi Arabian officials, including al-Hussayen, had been recalled by the request of Prince Bandar and with White House permission.

This information was not only known to the CIA and FBI, but it was also within the 9/11 Commission report. But this information was covered up up until recently and America was unaware of the connection. Why would the United States go to great lengths to cover up the Saudi Arabian connection to the 9/11 attacks?

It’s disturbing to view in retrospect. The Bush Administration sold itself as seeking to avenge the fallen by invading multiple countries and escalating foreign operations. It was the purpose for invading Afghanistan and destabilizing Iraq. It was the purpose for using drones to strike multiple targets and occupy the region. United States soldiers were injured, scarred and even killed under the “War on Terror” push, which seems to have been just a mere marketing term by the Bush Administration.

If there was an actual interest in avenging the many Americans lost on September 11th, 2001 and stopping terrorism, the Saudi Arabian connection would not have been covered up. Americans should be asking more questions and demanding more answers.