This year's 9/11 commemoration was emotional and sad, but there was also an "anger that didn't exist before" and a growing fear that the terrorists now have the power to strike again because of President Joe Biden's actions in Afghanistan, former New York Gov. George Pataki, who was in office when the 2001 attacks occurred, said on Newsmax Monday.
"Biden basically made us hostage to the Taliban," the New York Republican said on Newsmax's "National Report." "The rule of September 11 was 'never forget.' Joe Biden apparently forgot, he forgot that the attack was organized, planned, and set up out of Afghanistan and he forgot that groups like the Taliban and al-Qaida and ISIS-K don't want to just control the country. They want to harm as many Americans anywhere in the world as they can."
The tone of anger and concern didn't exist six months ago, Pataki added, especially after the homeland has been "relatively free from this type of terror" for 20 years.
"We now may be facing it in the years to come," said Pataki. "I'm just so upset about this. I saw what happened on Sept. 11 and I dread the thought that because of Biden's fiasco, we could risk another one."
Pataki also pointed out that at the Ground Zero ceremony, officials were "standing around, talking, hugging for an hour and a half" but nobody was wearing a mask.
"Then all of a sudden, they're about to begin the program and the cameras come on, and the director comes along and says, okay, you should all put your masks on. So all these people who had no mask on when they were hugging and talking two minutes before when the cameras come on, they all have masks up. And that makes you wonder. You know, uh, aren't they aware of the gross hypocrisy of what they're doing? Or just they don't care."
He also pointed out that he was at the commemoration the whole time, but he and other Republicans who were part of the recovery from the attack were "shuttled off to the side" to make room for former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama and others.
"They still couldn't find a place for those of us who were there on Sept. 11 to be front and center because we're Republicans," said Pataki.
Pataki also commented on Biden heading to California to campaign for embattled Democrat Gov. Gavin Newsom, who faces a recall election on Tuesday.
"I don't think President Biden is going to convince anybody, particularly after the last month," to allow Newsom to stay, said Pataki, but the president may "rally some of the crazies" who agree that Newsom has been a disaster but Democrats must keep the state.
He also said that the fact that Biden and Harris have campaigned for Newsom shows concerns that the governor could lose.
"Biden basically has the lightest schedule of [any] president in history, so sending him to California means that they're desperately concerned," said Pataki. "What they're trying to do is make this a national partisan election ... it's not about trying to convince people he's a good governor. I think they've given up on that. It's just basically scaring them about the consequences nationally."
Further, Newsom is driving California businesses and residents to leave the state and go to places like Texas and Florida, which have Republican governors, said Pataki.
"He's been a terrible governor, and that's why businesses and people are leaving,' the former governor added. "You have the homeless crisis. You have crime going through the roof. You have stores that have no merchandise because you can rob with impunity, and they're not prosecuted and the governor just looks the other way."
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