Malliotakis Applauds Court Decision Rejecting 9/11 Plea Deal
Editor’s note: Rep. Malliotakis and BP Fossella both spoke out against this potential plea deal for the alleged mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, which deeply affected many, many Staten Island residents. Many Islanders lost loved ones in the tragedy while others continue to suffer from lifelong debilitating illnesses. In fact, the Tunnel to Towers Foundation was formed when an FDNY member from Staten Island ran to the towers through the tunnel because everything was impassable by non-emergency vehicles at the time. The World Trade Center Health Fund has been utilized by many Island residents whose health was affected by their presence at the site. Out of about 28,000 health program enrollees, 2,420 are Staten Island residents.
(NEW YORK, NY) – Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11) issued the following statement in response to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit’s decision to strike down a plea deal that would have allowed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and his co-defendants to avoid the death penalty:
“I applaud today’s decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals to rightly reject an outrageous plea deal that would have allowed the 9/11 mastermind and his accomplices to escape the death penalty. This ruling confirms what we’ve been saying all along: the Biden Administration never should have considered such a deal in the first place.
The American people have waited more than two decades for justice. The families who lost loved ones, along with the first responders who continue to suffer, deserve full accountability for those who orchestrated the deadliest terrorist attack on our nation’s soil. It is time to move forward by setting a trial date and pursuing the death penalty to ensure these terrorists are finally held fully accountable for their crimes.”
In 2024, Malliotakis was joined by 9/11 Families & First Responders Call for Justice to be Served Against 9/11 Terrorists.
In 2023, Malliotakis joined Texas Senator Ted Cruz in writing to Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin urging the Department of Defense to scrap any possibility for a plea deal with 9/11 terrorists that takes the death penalty off the table
Banner Image: Press conference. Image Credit – Rep. Malliotakis
Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis
Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis was sworn in on January 3, 2021 to represent Staten Island and Southern Brooklyn. Prior to serving in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis was elected to the New York State Assembly on November 2, 2010, defeating a two-term incumbent. In the Assembly, she served as Minority Whip and the ranking minority member of the Assembly Committee on Governmental Employees. For five terms, Congresswoman Malliotakis fought to restore ethics in Albany, expand transit service in her district, improve programs for senior citizens, reform education and improve New York’s economic climate by reducing the tax burden on small businesses and residents. A cornerstone of her tenure was helping her community recover and rebuild following the devastation of Hurricane Sandy in 2012. In addition to advocating for these same issues in Washington, Congresswoman Malliotakis is acutely focused on securing New York’s fair share of federal mass transit funding, which would go towards expanding transportation services and easing traffic congestion, while also championing public safety by supporting our nation’s law enforcement officers. Congresswoman Malliotakis is the daughter of immigrants, her father from Greece and her mother a Cuban exile of the Castro dictatorship. She is currently the only Republican member representing New York City in Congress, representing a district spanning the boroughs of Brooklyn and Staten Island. She is a passionate advocate for animal rights and the strengthening of animal cruelty laws, and in her spare time, enjoys spending time with her chihuahua, Peanut.