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Tucker Carlson: “They had at least three opportunities to strike, but they…”

Featuring: Tucker Carlson, Conservative, Right-wing | Political Commentator, Former Fox News Host | National

The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3

Published October 7, 2025 | Video Starts at 15:08

Officials in both the US military and the CIA agreed this was the best opportunity they could hope for to kill bin Laden. They had at least three opportunities to strike, but they never did. Somebody got wet feet. Shawyer was removed from his role running alex station in 1999. He was replaced with a figure called Richard Blee who barely comes up in the 911 Commission Report. (15:08–15:13)

CLAIM

Asserts that there were at least three missed opportunities to strike bin Laden.

This is an excerpt from a raw transcript. The assertions have not been audited or verified. Tap the video to view the source footage and understand the context.

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Tucker Carlson

“On August 6th, 2001, President Bush received a presidential daily briefing. Its title literally, bin Laden determined to strike in US.”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 00:33-00:43
“Bin Laden was mentioned no fewer than 40 times in the president's daily intelligence briefing.”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 01:03-01:09
“Between 1999 and 2001, NORAD simulated a foreign hijacked airliner crashing into a building in the United States as part of a training…”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 01:50-02:02
“The National Reconnaissance Office was planning an exercise in which an errant aircraft would crash into one of its buildings. That Exercise…”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 02:02-02:20
“In the days before the attack there was a huge surge in put options against airline stocks.”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 22:08-22:15
“The Bush administration did everything it possibly could to undermine an actual investigation into what happened on September 11.”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 00:00-00:09
“The United States had incredible intelligence on Bin Laden and his plans. Precise intelligence, actionable intelligence.”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 00:27-00:34
“CIA Director George Tenet said that in the summer of 2001, quote, the system was blinking red.”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 01:08-01:15
“In May 2001 an intelligence report concluded this Operatives may hijack airplanes.”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 01:22-01:29
“The FAA issued a circular to airlines warning of heightened increase in hijackings.”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 01:29-01:35
“In July of 2001 the FAA issued another circular, this one noting that, quote, currently active terror groups were known to plan and train…”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 01:35-01:47
“By any measure, including according to the heavily biased commission report, George W. Bush and particularly Condoleezza Rice had ample…”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 03:40-03:52
“The US intel agencies were fully aware the hijackers were in the United States.”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 03:53-03:58
“In 1983 a group called Islamic Jihad murdered more than 300 U.S. marines at a military barracks in Beirut.”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 06:21-06:28
“In 1993 a Pakistani national called Ramzi Yousef bombed the World Trade center in lower Manhattan.”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 06:39-06:46
“By 1996, Al Qaeda had emerged as the single clearest threat to the United States.”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 06:51-06:57
“As Brennan was withholding critical information on bin Laden, the CIA's Counterterrorism center started developing a plan to capture bin…”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 08:34-08:46
“The plan was finalized with the help of friendly Afghan tribal leaders. It was even rehearsed twice in the United States in late 1997. All…”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 09:03-09:14
“And yet, less than a week later, the CIA's assets in the field were informed that the operation had been suspended by the Clinton…”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 10:05-10:15
“A clear pattern emerged throughout Shawyer's tenure at Alex Station. Whenever there was a chance to kill or capture Osama bin Laden, the…”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 12:34-12:45
“The plan was supposed to unfold just days before Al Qaeda bombed the American embassies in Kenya and Tanzania.”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 12:50-12:57
“In May of 1999, U.S. intelligence services had a credible lead that bin Laden was at his compound near Kandahar, Afghanistan.”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 14:54-15:02
“Officials in both the US military and the CIA agreed this was the best opportunity they could hope for to kill bin Laden.”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 15:01-15:09
“Shawyer was removed from his role running alex station in 1999.”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 15:14-15:19
“He was replaced with a figure called Richard Blee who barely comes up in the 911 Commission Report.”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 15:18-15:24
“17 American servicemen died. But this time the government didn't strike anyone or anything in retaliation.”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 15:38-15:46
“The official reason given by the report for the lack of action was that the administration lacked definitive proof that Al Qaeda was…”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 15:46-15:54
“It took Bill Clinton Just 13 days to respond to the embassy bombings. But for some reason, a reason that has never been explained, he had no…”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 16:58-17:10
“Paul Wolfowitz described the Cole bombing as stale. By the time Bush took office, it was just five months after the terror attacks.”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 17:19-17:27
“If you want to understand why and how 911 happened, the years to look at most closely are 1999 to 2001.”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 17:57-18:07
“In December 1999, a 23 year old Algerian man called Ahmed Rassam attempted to cross with a rental car on the ferry from Victoria, British…”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 18:55-19:07
“His plan had been to set off a car bomb at LAX on 1-1-2000.”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 19:14-19:20
“On April 20th, 2001, a briefing to top Bush administration officials noted that bin Laden planned multiple operations.”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 19:28-19:37
“On June 22nd of that year, the CIA notified station chiefs about intelligence suggesting an Al Qaeda suicide bombing in the United States…”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 20:04-20:14
“On June 25, George W. Bush's counterterrorism czar Richard Clark told Condoleezza Rice that six intelligence reports showed Al Qaeda…”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 20:25-20:38
“On June 30, top U.S. intel officials were warned bin Laden planning high profile attacks of catastrophic proportion.”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 20:44-20:54
“On July 12, 2001, Acting FBI Director Thomas Picard opened Attorney General John Ashcroft's intelligence briefing with the latest on the CIA…”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 21:15-21:35
“Picard appealed for more counterterrorism enhancements, meaning funding an appeal the Attorney general denied.”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 21:37-21:44
“It seems possible, probably likely, that foreign governments, including supposed allies, knew the plot was coming.”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 22:20-22:28
“Why did US Authorities rush to ship all the debris from the attacks abroad almost immediately, making it impossible for engineers to study…”
The 9/11 Files: They Could Have Stopped It | Ep 3 | Uploaded October 7, 2025 | 22:29-22:40