Did George W. Bush admit that explosives were used in 9/11? No, that's not true: The claim relies on footage from a 2006 press conference. The video was edited and his comments were misconstrued. Bush was talking about explosives in the context of other plots and planned attacks, not the 9/11 attacks.
The claim appeared in an article (archived here) published by The True Reporter on July 6, 2021. Titled "SHOCKING VIDEO FOUND: George W. Bush Admits Explosives Used In 9/11," the article opens:
Unfortunately, many of us were misled years ago and supported George W. Bush. Let's admit it, the alternative was no better. Yet, time has shown that he was far from the patriot many of us considered him to be. The Bushes were neither patriots nor great Republicans.
Users on social media saw this title, description and thumbnail:
SHOCKING VIDEO FOUND: George W. Bush Admits Explosives Used In 9/11 - The True Reporter
Unfortunately, many of us were misled years ago and supported George W. Bush. Let's admit it, the alternative was no better. Yet, time has shown that he was far from the patriot many of us considered him to be. The Bushes were neither patriots nor great Republicans. In fact, the battle wasn't Republican vs. Democrat, ...
The article continued:
The video below reveals one painful truth- GWB admits there were explosives used in 9/11! Yet, he does not 'come clean' and admits the truth, but he tells it just because he is not smart enough!
The article then links to old video of a press conference the former president gave on September 15, 2006. The video has been edited and does not include Bush's full comments, which can be read here. Among other things, he talked about a bill he'd proposed that he said would "provide clear rules for our personnel involved in detaining and questioning captured terrorists." Bush said:
The information that the Central Intelligence Agency has obtained by questioning men like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has provided valuable information and has helped disrupt terrorist plots, including strikes within the United States. For example, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed described the design of planned attacks on buildings inside the U.S. and how operatives were directed to carry them out. That is valuable information for those of us who have the responsibility to protect the American people. He told us the operatives had been instructed to ensure that the explosives went off at a high -- a point that was high enough to prevent people trapped above from escaping.
As is clear from his full comments, Bush was not admitting that explosives were used on 9/11. He was talking about other plots and planned attacks.
Also, far from being "shocking video found," the footage in the article was of an old press conference. It wasn't secret, much less shocking.
