Hi there,

In the six months since President Trump’s inauguration, we have seen unprecedented attacks on the press. Instead of pushing back, corporate owners of commercial networks are caving in. Because we do not accept any corporate or government funding, we rely on audience members like you to sustain our work. I hope you will donate today to support our independent journalism.Thanks to a group of generous donors, all donations today will be TRIPLED, which means your $15 gift is worth $45. If you believe that freedom of speech and freedom of the press are essential to the functioning of a democratic society, please donate today. Every dollar makes a difference. Thank you so much.

Democracy Now!
Amy Goodman

Non-commercial news needs your support.

We rely on contributions from you, our viewers and listeners to do our work. If you visit us daily or weekly or even just once a month, now is a great time to make your monthly contribution.

Please do your part today.

Donate

House of Bush, House of Saud: The Secret Relationship Between The World’s Two Most Powerful Dynasties

Listen
Media Options
Listen

We speak with Craig Unger, author of the new book, “House of Bush, House of Saud” that details the complex negotiations on war, oil, illegal arms deals and murky banking deals conducted between the Bushes and the Saudis–connecting a US presidential dynasty to a foreign power. [Includes transcript]

Click here to read transcript In the days after the September 11th attacks, former Vice President Al Gore was grounded, former President Bill Clinton was grounded, planes were forced down in mid-flight, including one carrying a heart to be transplanted to a deathly-ill cardiac patient.

American skies were empty, yet at the same time 140 influential Saudis were effectively chaperoned out of the country–allegedly by the U.S. government. Among them, were several dozen members of the bin Laden family. They were never questioned by the FBI.

Despite the fact that 15 of the 19 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia, top White House officials approved the evacuation of Saudi citizens at a time when all other planes were grounded.

How was this possible?

The answer lies in the long-term relationship between the Bush family and the Saudi royal family that dates back over two decades and the is the subject of a new book by Craig Unger entitled, “House of Bush, House of Saud: The Secret Relationship Between the World’s Two Most Powerful Dynasties.”

  • Craig Unger, author of “House of Bush, House of Saud: The Secret Relationship Between the World’s Two Most Powerful Dynasties.” He was deputy editor of the New York Observer and editor in chief of Boston Magazine. He has written about George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush for the New Yorker, Esquire and Vanity Fair.

Related Story

StoryJul 23, 2025Palestinian American Student & Dad: 200 Relatives Killed in Gaza; VCU Withholds Diploma for Protest
The original content of this program is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States License. Please attribute legal copies of this work to democracynow.org. Some of the work(s) that this program incorporates, however, may be separately licensed. For further information or additional permissions, contact us.

Non-commercial news needs your support

We rely on contributions from our viewers and listeners to do our work.
Please do your part today.
Make a donation
Top