NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Nearly 20 years after 9/11, Alberto Gonzales is remembering the moments he met with President George Bush after the attacks.
On the morning of September 11th, Alberto Gonzales flew to Virginia to give a speech. "That’s the same airport that American 77 flew out of that morning,” Gonzales said, “That’s the plane that was hijacked and crashed into the Pentagon."
The Navy took Gonzales to the White House where he met with President George Bush when he stepped off Marine One. Gonzales said, "That day there was just a counter-assault team with machine guns forming a protective perimeter."
Eventually, he transitioned from White House Counsel to the 80th Attorney General of the United States. Now, he’s the Belmont Law School Dean in Nashville.
Gonzales believes enhanced security, and better intelligence prevented other terrorist attacks.
"There’s no question in my mind that the measures taken by President Bush with the support of Congress, and the American people, contributed to the fact that we have not had another 9/11 style attack. There’s no question about it."
Following the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, he said it's crucial the country is monitored.
"Particularly because Afghanistan is a neighbor to Pakistan, Pakistan has nuclear weapons, and the worst thing to happen would be for terrorists to take control of Pakistan, and control those nuclear weapons."
He hopes the war serves as a reminder of what the U.S. is capable of. Gonzales said, "I also have the hope that terrorists in countries around the world now realize that if there is another attack on the United States, we’re not going to send just a few cruise missiles to take out some of the enemy, we might actually invade their homeland, and maybe that will give them pause."
