A journalist has released unedited audio and a complete transcript of an interview he conducted with GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, disproving the latter’s claim that he was misquoted.
About the quote: The article in question was written by reporter John Hendrickson and published by The Atlantic on Monday, Aug.21. The piece features Ramaswamy questioning how many federal agents were on the planes that crashed during the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
The candidate was quoted as saying:
“I think it is legitimate to say how many police, how many federal agents, were on the planes that hit the Twin Towers. Maybe the answer is zero. It probably is zero for all I know, right? I have no reason to think it was anything other than zero. But if we’re doing a comprehensive assessment of what happened on 9/11, we have a 9/11 commission, absolutely [that] should be an answer the public knows the answer to.”
About the denial: During an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins on Monday night, Ramaswamy vehemently denied making the statement, claiming that he was misquoted. According to Ramaswamy, what he actually said was that on Jan. 6, 2021, when a pro-Trump mob attacked the U.S. Capitol, he believed there were “many federal agents in the field and we deserve to know who they are.” He then added that the government lied about “Saudi Arabia’s involvement” in 9/11.
Releasing proof: In response to Ramaswamy’s claims, Hendrickson released the full audio and transcript of the interview, which clearly indicate that Ramaswamy did make the statement quoted in The Atlantic’s article. The released materials also provided additional context to Ramaswamy’s views, including his questions about the presence of government agents during the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and his skepticism about the official narrative surrounding the 9/11 attacks.
Tricia McLaughlin, Ramaswamy’s campaign spokesperson, has since responded to the release of the audio, emphasizing that the recording shows Ramaswamy was taken “badly out of context.” The Atlantic, however, maintains that the quotes in their article accurately represent Ramaswamy’s statements.
