This morning, former Bush White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer began live tweeting the events of September 11th, 2001. Fleischer became a familiar face for Americans in the weeks after 9/11, giving updates multiple times a day inside the White House Press Room. Fleischer’s tweets provide an amazing insight into the inner workings of the Bush Administration that day, particularly the moments immediately following the attack.
We’ve captured some of the more interesting tweets here, information some of us (me included) have probably never heard before. The bank vault one is especially intriguing.
8:46 Flight 11 crashes into the North Tower. The motorcade was a few minutes away from arriving at the school.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014
I wrote on back of a legal pad "DON'T SAY ANYTHING YET". I wanted him 2b briefed b4 talking. I put my back to the press & held up the sign.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014
POTUS left the event and went into the holding room 2get briefed/ work the phones. Here is a picture of the scene. pic.twitter.com/ZztLy2plSl
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014
The military drills 4 everything. They kicked in old Cold War training for how 2 protect POTUS. We flew at 45,000 feet in a random pattern.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014
I started 2take notes of what Bush was saying and doing. I have some 6 pages of notes on a legal pad. The originals are in a bank vault now.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014
FOne Capt. Mark Tillman told me 10 yrs later that we took off at unusually steep ascent bcause he had a report of a sniper at end of runway.
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014
Bush also told VP – and I quote – "We're at war Dick and we're going to find out who did this and we're going to kick their ass."
— Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) September 11, 2014