A woman whose husband was killed in the 9/11 attacks ripped the Biden administration at Ground Zero on Wednesday.
Joanne Barbara, whose firefighter husband Jerry was killed when the South Tower collapsed on that day, made a point of slamming the administration’s attempted plea deals with three suspected 9/11 terrorists held at Guantanamo Bay, including alleged mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, that would have spared the defendants the death penalty. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin eventually intervened to walk back the deals after the initial news of the plea deals broke and outraged many family members of September 11 victims.
“And my husband, [New York City Fire Department] Chief Gerard A. Barbara. My husband Jerry was a Navy veteran and a member of the FDNY for 31 years. On September 11, 2001, 2,977 innocent people were murdered by radical Islamic terrorists. My husband of 30 years was one of them,” Barbara said at Wednesday’s ceremony in New York City commemorating the 23rd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. “It is outrageous that our government would ever entertain the thought of granting the terrorists a plea deal. If not for the outcry of the 9/11 community, who knows what might have transpired.”
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“It has been 23 years, and the families deserve justice and accountability,” she continued to the applause of onlookers. “The elected officials here today show their respect and reverence to the families on September 11th, or in our president’s words, ‘do 9/11,’ quite a flippant remark. But please remember that the September 11th families live it every day, not just on the anniversary. In conclusion, may God bless those battling post-September 11 illnesses, our first responders and the military here and abroad. May God Bless America, and never forget.”
In her remarks, Barbara referenced a comment that President Joe Biden made to reporters on Tuesday night in Washington, D.C., where he said that he would be “doing 9/11” on Wednesday, likely meaning to communicate that he planned to attend the remembrance ceremony at Ground Zero the next day.
Prominent officials who attended Wednesday’s remembrance ceremony in New York City included former President Donald Trump, Republican Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Democratic New York Gov. Kathy Hochul.
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