Ron DeSantis demands transparency on Saudi Arabia’s role in 9/11, confers with families

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called Monday for “full transparency” about any role the Saudi government may have played in the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks after conferring with grieving families who lost loved ones in the atrocity.

DeSantis’ demand that Biden administration declassify any and all outstanding secret documents on the attacks also amounted to an indirect shot at former President Donald Trump, whose association with Saudi-backed LIV Golf has rankled 9/11 families.

“We as a nation still owe full transparency and accountability to these grieving families. Yet too many politicians have broken past promises to them, and that is wholly unacceptable,” DeSantis said in a statement after attending a commemoration ceremony in Lower Manhattan.

DeSantis also urged Biden to scrap plea deals being mulled for accused terrorists — including purported 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed — and implored Congress to pass legislation making it easier for Americans to sue foreign state sponsors of terrorism.

“I’m hopeful from what I’ve seen, in contrast to other politicians that we’ve dealt with, that he’s different,” Peter Brady, who met with DeSantis at the 9/11 Memorial, told The Post.

Brady lost his father Michael, who worked on the 90th floor of the World Trade Center’s South Tower.

DeSantis spent most of Monday morning walking through the memorial and engaging with each of the families there, recounting how the attack inspired him to join the military.

“It’s refreshing,” Brady added of DeSantis. “I’ve been to this memorial a few times, and the politicians usually are off in a roped-in area — they stay there and they don’t stay for the entire memorial.”

In 2021, Biden signed an executive order directing the government to divulge additional information on the attack. While the FBI did release some documents, plenty of key material remains unshared, according to victims’ families’ groups.

Fifteen of the 19 hijackers who flew planes into the World Trade Center, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pa. were Saudi citizens. That fact, along with Al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden’s status as the scion of a wealthy and politically connected Saudi family, has led to suspicion of the Riyadh government — officially a key US partner in the Middle East.

Family members who lost loved ones on 9/11 have also lashed out at Trump in the past for hosting LIV events at his courses in Bedminster, N.J. and outside Washington DC.

Chris Ganci, who also met with DeSantis at the memorial, agreed with Brady that the governor seems “different.”

“I’ve shaken hands with with a lot of politicians. Politicians say certain things and then they do other things,” Ganci told The Post. “He was a lot more genuine. I had a good feeling speaking to him.”

Peter Ganci, Chris’ father, was the FDNY Chief of Department and one of 343 members of New York’s Bravest who perished that day.

Ganci, who has family in Florida and rarely goes to Ground Zero on the anniversary of the attack, underscored that the meeting with DeSantis didn’t feel very political.

“He was very gracious. The first lady [Casey DeSantis] was extremely gracious. He listened as we spoke. We walked and we talked. He was actually a real genuine person,” Ganci said. “It was refreshing.”

DeSantis’ potential 2024 rival, President Biden, was not at Ground Zero Monday, opting to send Vice President Kamala Harris instead while he stopped over in Alaska to give remarks following a trip to India and Vietnam.

“[Biden]’s in Alaska, the farthest place he can be from these 9/11 families,” Brady lamented. “This day in particular, he should have been at one of the crash sites.”

Back in May, DeSantis hosted 9/11 family members at the Governor’s Mansion in Tallahassee.

He has also signed a law designating Sept. 11 “9/11 Heroes’ Day” and mandating Florida students be taught about the tragedy.

“The pain of 9/11 endures for these families and all of us who remember that day, and its history must be taught for generations to come,” DeSantis said Monday.

“Our work is not done until we have fully brought to light all the details surrounding the attacks, and those responsible are held accountable. I will not rest until both are fully achieved. We Must Never Forget.”