Scott Stanzel, Chief Communications Officer, Truist: 9/11 at the White House

speaker-1: I happened to have September eleventh as my day. just based on the calendar, I happened to be the spokesperson on duty that day for the White House. Washington DC was pretty much shut down. there weren't many, there weren't many cars on the road. still smelling and seeing the smoke in the air from the Pentagon was jarring. I'm sure honestly felt like we had entered into some dystopian world.
Jonathan F. Block: Welcome to Stumbling Blocks, How Great Leaders Are Made. My guest today is Scott Stanzel, former Deputy Press Secretary at the White House. For the first time since 9 11, Scott sat down for an interview to share what it was like to be at the White House that day. I'm dedicating this episode to some of my younger listeners. Olivia, Eli, and Elena in Atlanta. Eva Jean in Kansas City and Joseph, Richard, and Patrick in Manila, Philippines. And of course, to my own kids, Theo, Layla, and Natalie. If you're listening, I know you weren't alive on 9-11. And I know this story is a scary one, but here is what I want you to see. There were lots of people just like you and me who gave their lives and their time and their generosity To a cause bigger than themselves that day. Some people, firefighters, ran into burning buildings to save folks they'd never met before. Some people opened their homes to travelers stranded all over the country, and some drove toward a smoking Washington, D.C. to report for duty when everyone else was driving away. They chose chose generosity and courage just like you can, just like I can. Here's the story of one of those people who chose courage over fear that day.
speaker-0: Well Scott, welcome to Stumbling Blocks. Thank you so much for being here today. I really appreciate it.
speaker-1: it's great to be with you, Jonathan. Good to connect and and good to have a conversation.
speaker-0: Likewise. So Scott, you were you were at the White House twenty five years ago, today on nine eleven, and you witnessed all that happened that day and then even through that night. So 9 37 AM, Scott. You're sitting in your office on 9 11, 2001, and American Flight 77 hits the Pentagon. It's the third American passenger plane to hit a civilian rich target in fifty one minutes. Can you take us to that moment?
speaker-1: Yeah, it was it was maybe one of the most jarring moments of my life and maybe professional life. We were I was part of the Office of Media Affairs at the time, and that's an office at the White House that deals with basically all the reporters that aren't in the White House press corps. And we had gathered up in my boss's office, he was the head of media affairs. Tucker Eskew to talk about an assignment that he had given us just 20 some minutes prior, which was do quick research about how presidents are generally rest respond to an act of war. And my colleagues and I had done quick research looking at Pearl Harbor, looking at how presidents respond, and we gather up in his office at about 9 30. And at just that moment President Bush was making his initial remarks from Sarasota about the two planes hitting the World Trade Center. And he was at the school but was letting everyone know that he was going to be leaving and that they had a moment of silence. And we of course watched that and then we started talking about what we had found in our research and we were interrupted pretty quickly by a phone call that my colleague Jimmy Orr got. Jimmy was in charge of whitehouse.gov and our online, you know, owned content presence. And he got a phone call and we could hear obviously his side of it. He said, What? Are you serious? And he quickly hung up the phone and And he said that his friend Rob, who lived over by the Pentagon, lived in Pentagon City, had seen the plane go into the Pentagon. And I can still feel sort of those chills that come over. And I was standing next to Erin Healy, who was another member of the staff, and she grabbed my hand and squeezed in a way that I will never forget. And shortly moments thereafter, CNN was on in Tucker's office, and they had a camera position on top of the Hay Adams Hotel, which is north of the White House, just north of Lafayette Park. So it's basically a block from the White House. And their camera position was looking over the top of the old executive office building in the White House complex. And we were in the Old executive office building, and you could see these giant plumes of smoke. And as sometimes happens with video, it's hard to have context about where that's coming from. But that camera line was right towards the Pentagon, over the top of the old executive office building. You couldn't see the Pentagon from there, it's about four miles away, but the smoke was so massive. That it felt almost on top of us. And we were sort of listening to the television reporting, Aaron Brown on CNN. And that's when Secret Service started the evacuation of the White House in a way that was also very jarring. They just literally were running down the halls of the old executive office building, swinging open doors, saying, get out, get out, get out. And the rest of our day went from there.
speaker-0: How how so I wanna go to the moment where where Erin reaches over and squeezes your hand. Like i i i i w what went through your head as th as she's doing that? What
speaker-1: It's it is hard to say that We didn't feel it from the moment it happened. You know, the first plane hit the North Tower at 846 that morning, and that was the first impact. So and we, you know, the next one was 17 minutes later at the South Tower. and we knew that the the world was changing. But it was that moment that When Erin squeezed my hand that I wondered if we were safe too.
speaker-0: Mm.
speaker-1: And I wondered how widespread this could possibly be. you know, don't forget terrorists throughout the nineties had attacked the World Trade Center. Yeah. And made plans to attack New York. And so it wasn't a stretch of the imagination to think about terrorist aca attacks in New York. But to have our our command center for all of our the world's strongest military force up in flames was tremendously alarming and then to feel in that moment you know sort of her squeezing my hand us thinking it was a moment where I thought, how are we going to get through this? Yeah. because the apparatus of the White House is built for crisis, it's built for resilience, it's built for all of those things. But in that moment, it felt like everything was in question.
speaker-0: So everything is in question, you're wondering if you're under attack, and then a few moments later Secret Service agents run through, as you said, swinging open doors and saying, get out, get out, get out. How much time did they give you to get out?
speaker-1: They were yelling, there's another plane. You have two minutes. And our
speaker-0: Our
speaker-1: office was on the first floor of the old executive office building and just down the stairs to West Exec over to the West Wing was basically where we would enter and exit the building. Tucker's office was down a perpendicular hallway. And so we did, we left. And so we had a a pretty fast path out of there. but two minutes isn't long to go, you know, couple hundred yards when you're in your dress clothes and
speaker-0: Yeah, when you're in a suit and tie. And especially for women. You you said before that they gave special instructions to the women you worked with like Aaron. Yeah. What did they what did the Secret Service say?
speaker-1: They said, take off your shoes and run. Take off your shoes and run. Because women in a lot of women were wearing high heels, of course. And that that command gave you a sense of the urgency of the moment and the information, whatever information they had, and in these moments of in the initial stages of the fog of war, of course, a lot of information is wrong. But to say, you know, get out, get out, get out, you have two minutes. And then to see them, you know, instruct the women who might have been going more slowly, you know, take off your shoes and run. Take off your shoes and run. And to see it happen,
speaker-0: Yeah.
speaker-1: you know, you felt you felt vulnerable in a way that you know I had never felt before.
speaker-0: I'm sure.
speaker-1: And it was it was a jarring scene. The West exec, as you know from working there, is a is a pretty secure little driveway drive path, a little alleyway between the
speaker-0: The most secure alley in America.
speaker-1: exactly. and it has a massive gate at the north end that is never opened unless you know a dignitary or or president is coming in on that side. And they had thrown open the gates on the north side and everyone was just running out. And
speaker-0: Unbelievable.
speaker-1: it was it was a scene, despite the fact that it was twenty-five years ago, I feel like I can see all the movements of that because it was so jarringly abrupt and unique and scary, in a way that you know I did not anticipate as a a relatively young staffer at the White House, I did not anticipate that that would be something that I'd be doing in my first year.
speaker-0: I'm sure. H so how old how old are you when this happens?
speaker-1: I was twenty-eight and I had joined the White House staff. I was lucky enough to get a job on the the Bush Cheney 2000 campaign. I was one of the early staffers thanks in part to my Iowa background. I have a leg up on the geography side because of the I Iowa caucuses. I was able to get in involved in the presidential campaign at an early stage and and did work in some early primary states. Also worked in the headquarters in Austin and then was at the recount in Florida and and got a job. I actually was offered the job when I was after the Florida recount. I I got offered the job as a spokesman at the White House. And I remember calling my mom to tell her that I got this job at the White House. And I was feeling pretty good about myself, to be honest. Sure. I was pretty young, but this was this had been my goal when I had come to Washington about three or four years earlier. And I told my mom, hey mom, they offered me a job at the White House as a spokesman, and she said, Don't you need experience to do that? And I said, Well, apparently not, because they gave it to me. but anyway, I was twenty-eight and I f
speaker-0: That's amazing.
speaker-1: I felt incredibly lucky to be there. Incredibly lucky to be doing something that I believed in mightily and doing something that I thought was important and was a personal passion of mine. And so it was it was a it was a day that I won't forget because as I walked in that morning, prior to everything that occurred, we often got to the White House, you know, six, six thirty. and I remember walking in, you know It was the most crystal clear blue day. And the temperature was, I think, it probably in the low seventies. And you just walk into the White House and feel this sense of awe at the complex, about what happens there, about the importance of the work, about its symbolism to not just the United States, but the rest of the world. And and I remember feeling that walking in that morning thinking, I am so lucky to be here, and I am so lucky to have this opportunity. And it was it was something, a role that I was very proud to have landed and and loved the team, loved working for the president. And as you you know, he set a culture. about the type of folks that he attracted. And that was that's what made it all the more gratifying to be part of that team.
speaker-0: So Scott, you walk in at 6 30 that morning, as you said, grateful, lucky, blue skies, thinking about reflecting on this opportunity you have in life. And just three hours later, you're running out the door because Secret Service is screaming at you that you have two minutes to survive. As you run out, you said a little bit ago that you had called your mama a couple months earlier to let her know you got this job. Yeah. and then as you run out, you call your mom again. Yeah. What was that conversation?
speaker-1: Yeah. my mom lived in Iowa at the time and and she wasn't necessarily a huge political fan, so so the drama of politics wasn't her thing and she was somewhat perplexed as to how I could put myself in the in the political scene. however, and and my father had passed away several years prior and I I called her because I didn't want her to worry. And I got through. I had one of those little StarTec phones that gives you a sense of the technology of the times. And Yeah,
speaker-0: The antennas that you pull out, yeah.
speaker-1: exactly. And I I called her to say to make sure that she knew that I was okay. I had been evacuated, we had gotten out of the White House complex, and we were going to another location that had been secured for us to work. And I called her and I said, Hey mom, have you been watching the news? And she's like, No, nope, I'm out running errands. And I was like, Okay. And I decided in that moment I wasn't gonna explain everything to her because it was almost hard to explain. And I said, Okay, well, if you see the news, you know, just know there's a lot going on today, and but I wanted you to know that I'm okay. And she said, That's good. Well, I gotta get back to my errands, so we'll talk to you later. And you know, she literally kind of shuffled me off the phone. And and so she just like was she had didn't didn't really engage, but I felt good that I had had tried to call her. I also tried to call my brother and sister, and I have an older brother and sister, did not get through to either one. And that that that was basically the moment the cell towers in Washington, DC And cell coverage in Washington DC went down for a period of time. And
speaker-0: How long was it down?
speaker-1: it was down for hours. It was down for hours. In fact, one of the reasons why communications changed after 911 was because of the cell towers went down on 911, and one of the only tools that had continued to function. Was the Blackberry. And why? Because the Blackberry was on its own proprietary network, and only sometimes a member of Congress or the very senior staff at the White House had a Blackberry. But after that moment, literally, almost everyone in Washington, DC got a Blackberry. And that changed the way people communicate. So it was down for hours. And we went, the White House staff went to An office building on I Street, and the husband of one of the people that worked in operations at the White House was leader at Daimler Chrysler, and she called him to say we need space to work for the White House, and they cleared out a floor of their office building and gave it to us to to support the president and the needs of the federal government that day.
speaker-0: That was Anita McBride, right, who later became Mrs. Bush's chief of staff and her husband Tim McBride, who worked at Diamond Chrysler at the
speaker-1: That's right. That's exactly right. And it was quick thinking on their part. Yeah. as you can imagine, remarkable this this idea of planes being used as weapons and potentially having targets in Washington DC, Capitol Hill, the White House, and then needing to move. You know, there are hundreds, as you know, staffers at the White House. How do you quickly find a new place for all of them to work in a moment's notice? And credit to Anita.
speaker-0: can get to without shoes on.
speaker-1: Right. And they and they will just be let in and the the PCs will be up and running, the phones will be ready and they'll be working. And that's what she that's what she was able to do.
speaker-0: That's what Anita and Tim did. So you you you call your mom, you get to this office, and then at ten three, which just for a timeline perspective is twenty-six minutes after the third plane hit the Pentagon. So so in those twenty-six minutes you've been evacuated, you've run down the street, you've called your mom, you've gotten to this office, and then the fourth plane hits the ground in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. And it probably saves your life. Do you remember hearing that news?
speaker-1: I I do. it was I think we had just arrived. and we were just getting TVs set up as part of the communication staff. We had been assigned basically all of us had different news organizations to track so we could track the information that was coming in so that we could then relay it to Ari Fleischer, who was the press secretary, and Karen Hughes, who was The president's counselor, at the time. So they had whatever the latest reporting was. And I do remember that, and I remember thinking that you know, people were sacrificing in so many ways. And it was not in that exact moment, of course, that we learned the stories of the heroes of that flight. But were it not, were it not for the fact that that flight, United 93 out of Newark, was delayed a little bit. It might not have been the case that that that flight would have been stopped short of its target as it was in in the fields of Shanksville, Pennsylvania. It was headed to Washington. it was headed to we don't know for certain. Some the White House was a potential target, Capitol Hill was a potential target. the nine eleven commission theorized that it was probably Capitol Hill, but we don't know. But With the many calls that were made from those airphones on that flight, only then did the passengers realize that this is not a hijacking where we go land somewhere and somebody demands ransom. it is
speaker-0: Yeah, what what did they realize? So they yeah.
speaker-1: They realized that that they themselves and the plane that they were on had been weaponized. And they found out about the the the two planes hitting the World Trade Center. Initially, I think it's clear from the 911 Commission report, I think it's i initially clear that they didn't even know that their own plane was being flown by a terrorist because the way that the attack had occurred and in first class and and the the screen had been pulled and then there were two terraces in the in the main cabin. It wasn't even initially that they knew that the that their plane was being flown by someone who was not the pilot. And so that that information was gathered over time. And you know whether it was Todd Beamer or Jeremy Glick or others on that.
speaker-0: Mark Bingham, Tom Burnett.
speaker-1: Yeah, exactly. Rallying, rallying the troops to say this, we have to do something. We have to do something. And and literally probably deciding how do we do this over fields instead of over cities? How do we how do we think about even managing the plane? I understand that there was someone on the plane who had a single engine pilot's license that was initially going to try to land the plane. There was somebody on the plane that had worked in air traffic control years prior. And but the struggle on that plane on United 93 happened it started just before 10 o'clock according to the report 957 and the struggle ended about five or six minutes later. in the fields of of Shanksville, Pennsylvania. But those people were the first responders in what became a a global war on terror.
speaker-0: So those those people included a flight attendant named Sandra Bradshaw who who boiled water boiled water to throw at the hijackers and another flight attendant, Cece Lyles, who called her husband, told him she loved him and asked him to take care of their their kids. When did you when did you realize that these guys had saved your life? Probably.
speaker-1: I think it was later in the day as it it as we start to speculate and you start to think about the flight patterns and seeing the flight patterns. So three of those four flights were headed to Los Angeles and obviously made U-turns back to back to targets on the East Coast, understanding that the third of the four had gone to had gone to a target in Washington DC. Yeah. it didn't take a a big leap of imagination, unfortunately, to think about the plane going into the White House or the plane going into Capitol Hill. Yeah. And I think you know a in that moment To sort of weigh the gravity of it. In some respects, you have to maintain your calm throughout the day. The country is expecting you and the president's team to try to get to some sort of understanding and next steps in what is a completely unprecedented moment. And you don't have time to sit with it. in ways that you and and a lot of folks from the White House staff probably did in the days and weeks and even years to come.
speaker-0: Sure. So we're gonna come back to those folks, as you said, the first responders in the war on terror. We'll come back to them in a little bit. but I wanna go back to that day. so y you've said a few moments ago that you walked in that morning and felt really lucky to be there, felt lucky to serve President Bush and to serve the country that you love. What was that day supposed to be like for President Bush and for for his team?
speaker-1: Yeah. So as you know, President Bush was in Sarasota, Florida, had flown there that morning to he was gonna give a speech about No Child Left Behind, his signature domestic policy achievement, and you know his the focus of his presidency was thought to be largely domestic focused, whether it's tax cuts or energy policy or education reform and He was there to tout the benefits of No Child Left Behind at a school. So my day started with doing what we would normally do, which is scan the news in our areas of responsibility. Mine was happened to be the Midwest. And so I would be looking at news outlets all across the Midwest to think about how are they covering the presidency? Are there issues that are popping that might bubble up to the press secretary for questions that they would get? we were also paying attention to how the education issue was being covered all across the country. And and so it was supposed to be, you know, a pretty a pretty straightforward Tuesday and supposed to be a day that where the president was advancing his domestic agenda. Don't forget that and it seems foreign in this day and age, but don't forget that No Child Left Behind had broad bipartisan support. And, you know, the president had literally stood on the stage with Ted Kennedy to, you know, sign the bill and thank both Republicans and Democrats for advancing that legislation. And so it was
speaker-0: It's hard to imagine, but it's so important to remember that just twenty five years later twenty five years ago people did things like that.
speaker-1: Yeah, yeah. And it was like the signing ceremony was not monolithically one party only. And so it was it was a day that I felt like, you know, the sun is shining, the air is bright, and the you know, the president's the president's doing what he said he was going to do. And and that is advancing a certain set of principles for the betterment of our country and And that felt that felt really good.
speaker-0: Yeah. So i you're in your office, you're doing that, and then at eight forty six in the morning the first plane hits. What yeah what went through your head when you saw that the news of that first plane?
speaker-1: Yeah. and it was Ken Lasayas, who was another spokesperson at the White House Office of Media Affairs. His office was just a little bit down from mine, and he said, There's a there's a plane that's hit the World Trade Center. And I said, What are you talking about? And we sort of several of us gathered in his office like, what is going on? Is that a small plane? And as as you probably know, a lot of the initial reporting was that it might be a small plane, and we were speculating like What has did the pilot have a heart attack? What happened here? How could this be? And our boss, the head of media affairs, Tucker Eskew, came in at that point, at that moment and said, Hey, team, let's start thinking about how a president communicates when there's been a national tragedy, when something has occurred that they they need to speak to, and there's obviously gonna be loss of life here today. Let's think about how we can help the team prepare for what remarks that he might be giving. So literally we started researching quickly at that point to try to think about, okay, in an earthquake or in a you know tornado situation or you know, other crashes of planes or other things, what would a president say? And you know, we started doing that and Un unfortunately it wasn't very long before the second plane hit, you know, the second tower.
speaker-0: And then so what's your reaction then? So your your your your boss has asked you, Hey, find what happens when there are national tragedies. A second plane hits, how how do things change?
speaker-1: Yeah. And again, Ken in his office said he yelled, he said another plane hit the other tower. And we we were like, what? Are you sure? like was that are you seeing B-roll? And just what that means is, you know, are they just simply playing back video that the news organization had and that you're seeing that? And he had a different channel on in his office than I had in mine. And he had literally seen it live because they had a live shot of the towers themselves. And it was it was the type of thing that it sends shivers through your body because you know that something else than what you thought just moments ago, something else completely different has occurred, and we were literally under attack. And our boss door swings open. He had come down from his office and he said, All right, let's change gear here. Let's think about how a president responds to acts of war. And
speaker-0: So you you switch very quickly from presidents respond into national tragedies to we are a nation at war.
speaker-1: Right, exactly. And to know that to go from signature domestic policy win and things are going great to are we really we're now at war? We are now at war. And we had had, we had enjoyed as a country, relative peace for some time, post-Cold War, to go to a moment where It seemed clear that not only were we at war, we were at we were in a type of war that was unlike any we had ever seen before.
speaker-0: So thirty minutes later, the Pentagon is hit and and then and then you're evacuated. And so over the course of an hour and seventeen minutes, America was attacked four times. and so can you take us through the rest of that day? You're you're evacuated to the Daimler Chrysler offices. W walk us through the rest of the day.
speaker-1: Yeah, so we were, as we said, we went over to the Daimler-Chrysler offices and it was a I Street for what it's worth, is, you know, just a few blocks from the White House and a relatively nondescript building, but White House staff was gathered there. The the vice president and some of the senior staff was in the Presidential Emergency Operations Center at the White House. So they stayed basically in the bunker at the White House and then the rest of the staff went to the Daimler Chrysler location.
speaker-0: And and Scott, that bunker, is that what used to be or w what was under the former East Wing?
speaker-1: Yes, that's correct. Yeah. And The we got over there and we had had our marching orders to then track the information that was coming in on from news organizations and literally everyone just kind of grabbed from their office supplies a yellow legal pad and started writing out you know. what was being reported on the news. I remember I I was tracking ABC News that day, and I remember writing down the report of a car bomb near the State Department.
speaker-0: Wow.
speaker-1: That obviously didn't happen, but it gives you a sense of these there's so much confusion, so much happening that a report of maybe a dumpster being overturned or something like that that makes a loud noise becomes becomes a report of a car bomb at the State Department. Yeah. And it in that moment it seemed very real. It seemed per certainly plausible given all the things that had happened that day. And so we were we were gathering up those things. Karen Hughes was calling in to us to basically kind of go around the room from all the staff to say, okay, what do you have? What are you hearing? What's new? What do I need to know? And
speaker-0: And where is she? Where's Karen? She's and she's the president's communications director, right?
speaker-1: That's right. And she was with that senior staff at the White House. that morning she went to she did go over to actually the Nest FBI headquarters building to do a briefing. And her briefing was pretty straightforward, but it was built upon the information that we had at the time, the actions that were taken by the government up to that moment, and to reassure citizens that Their president was safe, that the apparatus of government was working, the measures were being taken to protect them, and that the people who attacked freedom that day would be dealt with. And that was that was an unplanned, of course, briefing. All of us had left the White House complex, so she had to do it from the FBI headquarters. And you know, she
speaker-0: And they're be
speaker-1: did that because the president when he left. Sarasota, Florida. He flew first. and this is widely reported. You know, wanted to go back to Washington, D.C. They didn't know what was safe. They were concerned for his safety. He went to Barksdale Air Force Base where he gave a statement there as well.
speaker-0: Freedom itself was attacked this morning by a faceless coward and freedom will be defended.
speaker-1: Went on to Offitt Air Force Base in Omaha, Nebraska, and kept meeting with his national security team over the, you know, the channels that they have there at Strategic Air Command and ultimately made it back to the White House. But as you can imagine, the country wants to know what's going on. Of course. And Karen had to fill that role in some respects. one of the basic things that I mentioned Jimmy Orr earlier, Jimmy managed White House.gov just because of the traffic, you know, the site had gone down. And we were scrambling, he was scrambling to get that site back up and running so that whether it's the president statement, other briefings could be shared with the country for people who want to know what is happening here and are we are we on sound footing. And can we respond to this? And can we respond in a way that you know protects Americans? So we spent the day there. interestingly, they asked the White House staff to go at about four thirty, five o'clock,
speaker-0: Yeah.
speaker-1: to start making plans to go home. and
speaker-0: Why so early? That's a pretty early
speaker-1: It's a very early time, particularly for the White House staff. and it was because there was concern that we didn't know what threats were still out there. And the security team did not want White House staff making those journeys after dark. And so they literally were asking people to make plans to get home before dark so that it was Safer environment. And remember, a lot of people might have driven to the White House. They weren't gonna get their cars back. They were gonna have to f take metro. They were gonna have to walk, they were gonna have to carpool. There was a lot of discussions about okay, who lives where? Can we find a way to get this group home?
speaker-0: How did you get back?
speaker-1: I got back. I I jumped in I believe with a couple other co-workers that were going to I lived in Balston at the time, an area of Arlington in Northern Virginia, and and made it back but quickly had to turn around and go back to the White House.
speaker-0: So w what d s I mean that's that's remarkable. So you're y you've left the White House, you've driven past the Pentagon, which is on fire still and smoking. Yeah. And then you turn around and go back past the Pentagon, back to the White House, smokes in the air. Like were you scared? What was it what wh why why did you go back and what did it feel like?
speaker-1: Yeah, I went back because I happen to be, just based on the calendar, I happened to be the spokesperson on duty that day for the White House. And what that means is there were nine at the time, nine people that shared the rotation of being the spokesperson for the White House during non-business hours. Sure. So you can imagine the White House is a place that gets a lot of questions from reporters around the country and around the world. And anyone can call the White House operator at any time during the day, 202-456-1414, and say, I have a question. I'm from Nikkei News in Tokyo and I want to get an answer from the White House. And the White House operator would page not a
speaker-0: Literally like on a pager. A real
speaker-1: pager. It's amazing. The press duty officer, for that person to choose, okay, do I answer this question with what I already know? Do I wake other people up overnight to get an answer to this question? Or do I say, please call back tomorrow during business hours and we'll help you then? I just happen to be in that pager, literally was handed over from one person to the next at 7 a.m. every day of the week. Unreal. I happened to have September eleventh as my day. And I I knew I knew, of course, based on the events of the day, that I wasn't gonna be the the spokesperson on point for everything that was happening beyond business hours. but I I asked my boss Tucker Eskew if I could help in any way and he asked that I inquire with Ari Fleischer, who is the press secretary. And Ari, I think smartly made the very quick decision to say, look, we don't have staff at the White House. the White House press office lines are going to be ringing off the hook. please come back to the White House and help me answer the phones. And when the president returned to the White House that evening, evening from off at Air Force Base, I was there on hand to help. funnel questions to Ari and tee up new information that we were getting in advance of the president's address to the nation that night, w which was at 830 that night.
speaker-0: So take us just to the drive back. What was the drive back like?
speaker-1: It was eerie. It was eerie in a way that Washington DC was pretty much shut down. there weren't many, there weren't many cars on the road. as you noted, going still smelling and seeing the smoke in the air from the Pentagon was jarring. I'm sure honestly felt like we had entered into some dystopian world. I had to, of course, have a White House pass that allows me on normal days to badge in and walk into the White House complex. But on that day, there were military vehicles that were parked, you know, some blocks from the White House that were had set up a very large perimeter around the White House complex. And so I had to my roommate at the time also worked for the administration. He had driven me down knowing that he would just have to drop me off at some point. He drove me down and I got out of his his vehicle and had to show the military officers both my White House badge as well as my driver's license to verify I was who I said I was and what those two different forms of identification said I who I was. And And went into the the White House and into the West Wing after what was a a more friction filled a commute than most days for sure.
speaker-0: Yeah. So you get there and the president comes back, and and are you are you on the lawn, the south lawn when he when his helicopter lands?
speaker-1: I did not go out. I did not go out to the South Lawn at that time. and honestly it was largely for security reasons. They were doing things in a much different fashion.
speaker-0: So he lands. can you like walk us through the rest of that that evening? You said he gave remarks at eight thirty, you're in in the press office taking calls. Just walk us through what happens, what you saw of the president, how you saw him react.
speaker-1: Yeah, there was there was resolve and obviously it it was the president wanted to be back at the White House. it was it was a challenging day for that that apparatus because the president certainly wanted to be back at the White House, but you know, there was a lot of information about what threats might be still out there. I think he made the right decisions in terms of making sure that the continuity of government remained in place. And he arrived in that evening, I think about an hour and a half before he gave his remarks to the nation at 8 30. And there was reporters there on site, the pool reporters, and that's the a small sample of reporters that are there to record everything that the president does and And Ari brought those reporters into his office and to pre-brief them on what the president, the themes of the president's remarks would be. He talked to them about what had happened during that day, sort of filled in some of the gaps of their reporting, and shared with them what was happening across Department of Transportation, Department of Defense, and FAA. you know, choices that had been made to ground all the flights, stop international flights from even coming into our airspace. and he talked about the themes that President Bush had for, you know, our freedom being attacked
speaker-0: Mm.
speaker-1: and our way of life coming under attack in a very deliberate and deadly fashion. And and how The country would respond and how we would respond to those who have been injured or harmed, and that the government would take every precaution to help protect our citizens, and that those who struck us would be responded to. And America had stood up to enemies previously, and he talked about how none of us would ever forget that day. But we would defend freedom. And so Ari was sort of laying the groundwork for the president's remarks to the nation so that reporters could cover it, have a little bit of context behind it, make sure that their stories were thorough about how our government was responding in a fulsome fashion and in a coordinated fashion. And the president was As you would expect, and as you saw, even in those days ahead, including when he stood on top of the heap in New York some days later, he was resolved. He was resolved to un to know that his role and the role of the country would be different going forward. he understood that this was a nation that had been wounded and that it was his job to help. you know, respond to that, to provide empathy in the moment, but also to provide the fortitude that the country would need to take a different course and not one that he had ever planned.
speaker-0: Yeah. He had hoped to be a domestic policy president. And that's what he as you said earlier, that's really what he ran on and what his initial his initial achievements were, especially in terms of No Child Left Behind, which was the purpose of his visit to Sarasota that day. So Scott, what what stands out to you from his remarks? Are there words or portions of his remarks that night that stand out to you?
speaker-1: You know, I think every every leader has a different way to communicate. And one of the things that I always appreciated about President Bush, you know, he would even joke you know, at his own expense that he wasn't a gifted orator. He was not necessarily a Ronald Reagan per se in and high arcing, you know, speeches. But I appreciated How plain spoken he was, how direct he was. He said things like, America was targeted for attack because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world. And said very direct, plain spoken things. And you know, he followed that that up with saying, No one will keep that light from shining.
speaker-0: America was targeted for attack because we're the brightest beacon for freedom and opportunity in the world, and no one will keep that light from shining. Today our nation saw evil.
speaker-1: And that showed to me his resolve and his understanding that we are more than a set of laws and a gathering of people, that we are different in the world as Americans, and that we have a role to play to advance freedom to advance. the kind of principles that lift people up. And I appreciated his remarks because he was very clear. He called them evil acts. He he talked about directing the full resources of the government to respond. And he talked about how none of us would ever forget the day and but that we would defend defend freedom. and all that is good and just in this world. And those lines that he closed on, all that is good and just in this world.
speaker-0: None of us will ever forget this day. Yet we go forward to defend freedom and all that is good and just in our world. Thank you. Good night, and God bless America.
speaker-1: find his clarity in terms of justice, freedom, and the principles of humanity that should be raised up, not snuffed out.
speaker-0: Twenty five years later, Scott, does America still have that role to play in the world? In your point of view?
speaker-1: hundred percent. And I think that sometimes we forget that. And that to me is something that I I grieve from time to time when I see the approaches of isolationism or or a desire to withdraw from the world that has, you know, certainly crept into our politics all across the political spectrum. I believe that America is still that shining city on the hill, that we are still that beacon of freedom, and that we have an obligation to represent that for the rest of the world, whether that's in places like the Middle East, whether that's in places like Ukraine, whether that's in places where people are oppressed. by authoritarians or dictators. they look to us for hope. And we have the the principles and we have the resources to respond to that desire for people to have their own freedom. And that is a basic human right. It's not, just because you happen to be a citizen of the United States you feel a certain way. It's because You are a human being with lots of talents and lots of desires and you should be able to set your own course and the United States can help provide that path.
speaker-0: W in the in the weeks and months that followed, you continued working for President Bush, you you worked on his second election campaign, campaign for reelection, and then came back to the White House. in those over those years, Scott, of working for him, what did you learn from him as a leader and how did he change you?
speaker-1: Yeah, I would say I I appreciated the opportunity that I had to work for President Bush. Oddly enough, I had wrote a paper about him when I was in college, about his first campaign for governor of Texas. So I was in college in the during his 1994 cycle where he upset Ann Richards. And I'll tell a brief story here about how I got involved. with the campaign because I think it says something about him that I always appreciated. I I followed that campaign. I had worked on the 96 campaign, but followed his also his reelection for for governor is t of Texas in 1998. I actually wrote a letter to this guy named Carl Rove, whose name I saw in an article at the time and I said, I would like to work on his presidential campaign if he chooses to run for president in 2000. And to his credit, Carl wrote me a handwritten note back and said, love the enthusiasm. You know, let's stay in touch.
speaker-0: No kidding.
speaker-1: And I remember
speaker-0: Bob of course is the president's chief political advisor both in his ra races in Texas and then his national races.
speaker-1: Yeah, and the architect for what would become his presidential campaign. And and I was like, I was sort of flabbergasted because I thought I was just, I'm casting a line into the water, setting my roadway. But as I noted earlier, I have the advantage of being from Iowa. Yeah. And the Iowa caucuses are meaningful in presidential politics. And he responded back, and I was I was able to get a job on the on the president's campaign. in the fall of ninety nine. But here's the here's the bizarre thing. This is one more thing that tells you something about the president. So I told my mom who lived in Iowa that I wanted to work on the presidential campaign in the spring of in the spring of ninety nine she went, it was actually June of ninety nine she went to a an event. The president announced his campaign in June of ninety nine and he was going around Iowa and he was in this park in Ames, Iowa, and my mom Went to hear him speak and he shook every hand afterwards. And my mom said, You know, my son works for Senator Grassley and he'd like to work for you. And she called me to tell me this story, and I was like, Are you you said that to him? And she said, Well, Scott, Scott, here's the thing. He actually paid attention and he said, Well, tell me more. And he asked me a couple questions, and she said, I think if I had your resume, you know, you might have a job today. And I was like, well, mom, apparently you've got to travel with my resume from now on because you're telling potentially the next leader of the free world that I want to work for him. fast forward, that's in June. Yeah. Through other channels, I ended up getting a job on the field staff in Iowa during the Iowa caucuses. I start in September. The first event that I manage is in Dubuque, Iowa, in early October. And the president's doing this event, and I'm in charge of the event because that's my region of Iowa. And he shakes every hand. We had 900 people at the gym. Goodness. and he shakes every hand.
speaker-0: my god I've been Duke Iowa gym.
speaker-1: I'm sure you have. Yeah,
speaker-0: With Sara Peeling.
speaker-1: exactly. Exactly. So it's a it's a place to go and to campaign. And He does the campaign stop, shakes every hand, and I want to introduce him myself to him because I'd never met him yet. And I say, I walked up to him and I say, Governor, thank you for being here. Thank you for campaigning here. Thanks for dedicating the time. I'm your new campaign representative in eastern Iowa, Scott Stansel. He's like, I know who you are, Scott. He's like, thanks for thanks for coming, or thanks for joining the team. say Didn't I meet your mom
speaker-0: Unbelievable.
speaker-1: in a park earlier this summer? And I said, yeah, you did. It was actually Ames. he said, Yeah, well, I appreciate you joining the campaign. Thanks for your interest. Thanks for sticking with us. And you know, thanks for putting together a great event today. And I said, I
speaker-0: Unbelievable.
speaker-1: said, Well, thank you, sir, appreciate it. And that was it. That was it. I called the only person I knew that I had told that story to that might have been able to place it in a briefing paper for him because I assumed it was in the briefing paper. And this person was like, I never told anybody that story. He literally just remembered it. And he re he connected the dots himself. And you had so many through that period of time, you had so many moments where people would tell stories like that that said, This is a person who understands, he wants to know people, he wants to understand what makes them tick. He really truly does want to make the the country a better place. And that he really does care. And I
speaker-0: Amazing.
speaker-1: was lucky enough to be a part of his team for the better part of you know nine years. And I always appreciated his candor, his approachability, his ability to to relate to people that were in many different stations in life, and to do so while doing the most difficult job in the world. And to do it with character, to do it with principles. And to do it in a way that I feel made the country proud. Yeah. And represented us well. So I just appreciate, you know, so much that opportunity. It was a defining, of course, moment in my life. And it's, you know, something I will always cherish.
speaker-0: So so take us back to the night of nine eleven. The president has given remarks, you're in your office. What happens next?
speaker-1: Yeah, so I was answering the phones for Ari and in the White House press office, upper press, as you know it. It's the press office at the White House is divided into two little areas. One is up this ramp on a different level, on the same level that the Oval Office is on, and the other portion of the press office is down by the press briefing room, the Brady Press briefing room. But I was sitting in the upper press office just outside of Ari's. office answering the phones and teeing up phone calls for him to have. He stayed there for hours answering phone calls. And I would we had the door open, you know, weren't many very many people around. and I was listening to how he was responding to the questions. I was listening to him basically point people in the direction of all of the other Feedback that had happened and commentary that had happened from the head of FEMA, the head of DOT, the head of DOJ, Defense Department, others about how the entire administration was responding in that moment and what information we knew. And after midnight, some point after midnight, he decided that he was gonna go home and try to get some rest and freshen up for the September twelfth, which would be, you know, one of the busiest communications days in the history of this country. And I asked him, I said, What do you what do you want me to do? Can I should I keep the phones going? you know, I'm the press duty officer, I've got this pager, what should I do? And he said, Well, just keep answering the phones. there isn't gonna be a whole lot of new information in the next, you know, three or four hours. you've heard what I have said to all of these reporters. So feel free to feel free to parrot what I've said and don't break any new ground and we'll be back in the morning. we'll be back
speaker-0: When did you leave that morning? He le you said he left at three ish. When did you leave?
speaker-1: Yeah, he left sometime after midnight. I don't remember when that was. Yeah. I think I was there for another four hours ish by myself. left
speaker-0: It's a long day.
speaker-1: at about five when he came back. So he came back obviously very early. and had gotten, I think, just a little bit of rest. but you know, changed for the day and
speaker-0: And what kind of calls are you getting overnight? Like from midnight to five in the morning? What n w wh what are you what are you what are you answering?
speaker-1: it's really and it can run the gamut, as it does on any day at the White House, but that day it kinda ran the gamut of as you can imagine, you know, in a 24 hour news cycle, obviously the news is here and what's happening is in the United States, but there there are news outlets around the world that are throughout the day, throughout their evenings, throughout their mornings. That are trying to advance the story and trying to do new reporting on what's happening in the United States. And so it might be outlets across Asia, across Europe, South America, wire services that are trying to put something new out on the wire so that their subscribers and news outlets can populate, you know, their their media outlets with new content. Honestly, it wasn't the the volume was consistent, but there wasn't enough new that I didn't kind of have it down. So what I would do is like sort of recite here's what has happened or say, let me share some briefings with you. And what I have is the latest. I will send you the links to these various briefings that have occurred across the federal government. And that's the latest that we have and we'll have more to say first thing in the morning. And and
speaker-0: It's remarkable. And you're twenty eight years old. You're on a day that America has been attacked in an act of war for the first time in many, many decades, and you're answering on behalf of the president about how the country's responding. It's it's a remarkable remarkable moment.
speaker-1: Yeah, and it heavy and heady but
speaker-0: Did it weigh on you?
speaker-1: it it did, but the weight of doing it right, the weight of making sure that I was managing myself well and managing the information well that felt like a deep, deep responsibility. So I I think I compartmentalized the the horror of the day, so that I could execute on the needs of the moment. And the needs of the moment were real. And I was being asked to do something that was you know, in the grand scheme of things, important but paled in comparison to all of the things that were happening across the federal government. But it was my one small part to play in the moment of trying to help the federal government respond. And I wanted to know that I was worthy of the president's, you know, and his administration's ask of me to join their team. I wanted to make sure that I was worthy of that moment. And so focusing on, you know, what was in front of me was The critical aspect of getting through those three or four hours.
speaker-0: Yeah. Scott, if nobody has ever told you this before, as one of the people who you helped keep safe that day, thank you for what you did that day. Seriously.
speaker-1: Thank you, Jonathan. Appreciate that.
speaker-0: I wanna take us to a year after the attacks. On nine eleven, two thousand and two, you're in that field at Shanksville, where the heroes aboard Flight ninety three had intentionally taken down the plane over the course of about six minutes, as you said earlier. And you're there with President and Mrs. Bush and also family members of those who have fallen. W w what is going through your head? Where can you take us to that moment and what it feels like and is like for you?
speaker-1: Yeah. And as part of my role in the Office of Media Affairs, Pennsylvania, and the news outlets there were my responsibility. And so I I went with the president that day to the observance. today there's there's more of a memorial that has been created there, but at that moment there wasn't much.
speaker-0: What what was it? What was there?
speaker-1: It was an open field. it was an open field that still bore the scars of that plane in the ground.
speaker-0: Kidding.
speaker-1: And to walk through that area and and literally see the the marks in the field of where the plane hit was it was hard to think about those people that moment for them. Those phone calls that they made to their loved ones. And in the grand scheme of things, the ultimate sacrifice that they made to help others. Others that they had never met, others that they would never meet, and to help a way of life in this country that we cherish. And That ultimate sacrifice has always weighed heavily on me and and I think it should weigh heavily on all of us that Those people in that moment stepped up to represent the best of this country. The sacrifice, the the teamwork, the and the the principle of defending what we have created here over the last two hundred and fifty years.
speaker-0: W when you say their sacrifice weighs heavily on you, what does that mean?
speaker-1: I have to think that our country is stronger because of the sacrifices that they made and because of what they helped prevent. Whether that was a plane going into the White House or a plane going into Capitol Hill
speaker-0: Yeah.
speaker-1: and and killing many more, and becoming a symbol of our vulnerability for decades to come. They changed the course of history, in my view. And they steered it away from what could have been an even more devastating moment for our nation and for people who love freedom around the world. And I have often wondered if all of us who served at the White House. or served in government at the time were worthy of that sacrifice? That's an unknowable question, but is something that that I think about often and certainly think about each year on 9-11.
speaker-0: When you like when you think about that question, am I worthy of their sacrifice? What is that like what is that like for you and how do you live worthy of their sacrifice?
speaker-1: It is it's a lot of weight. There are small things that I do to remind myself of that sacrifice. On my backpack, I have a remember, never forget 9-11 patch on my on my Virginia vehicle, I have a sort of never forget commemorative plate. so each day I see the symbols of that moment and think, Am I making a difference? Am I having an impact? And not every day you th you feel like you're knocking it out of the park. But in many ways, I use those symbols of that horrible day to remind myself that I can make a contribution in a positive fashion. I can be somebody who contributes to the greater good. I can be the kind of dad or husband that I want to be. And I shouldn't I shouldn't stumble on those moments where we have small setbacks or or frustrations, but that I can take a step back and think about times when pay people made really, really big sacrifices for the betterment of others. And so It's a theme that isn't is on my mind a fair amount.
speaker-0: Have you had the chance to meet the f family members of the men and women on Flight ninety three?
speaker-1: I have not. other than other than on that day. I met a few. honestly it was hard enough for me on that day and hard for them, just one year in that the conversations were not long and it was more of a thank you for your sacrifice. I have not. if if your listeners haven't watched it, I would I would suggest to them watch the movie United ninety-three. It's a it is a moment. It is a movie that is unlike any other movie in that it's built on evidence and investigations of everything that happened that day. It's created without fanfare. it's meant to be it's meant to be an accurate depiction as best they could. Yeah. Of the moment. but it gives you a sense of the conversations that they had at the end of their time, the the quiet prayer, that I believe Todd Beamer said with the operator on the airphone before he said, Are you guys ready? Let's roll. And I can't imagine what it's like to be a you know, a child of one of those people and think about that day each year.
speaker-0: H how do you explain it to your girls? You weren't a dad then, but you are now.
speaker-1: Yeah, it's my girls are nine, eleven, and thirteen, so they're getting more to the ages that they can understand big issues. we've talked about it over the years. I've shared with them a little bit about what I what I did on that day, where I was, and and their mother has shared her story as well. we've talked about how much we tell them about even the the you know the reason why. That they have to, you know, go through security in the way that they do to get on a plane. we haven't shared all the horrors. but even just this morning and thinking about joining you today, I was talking with my wife about it and and we were talking about things that maybe we should share more with our eldest now that she's she's thirteen and and can probably handle that in a way that she might not have a few years ago. I think that they know being here in the Washington DC area, they know that big things happen here. They know that they know where the Pentagon is, they know where the White House is, they know where Capitol Hill is, they know at a high level about that day. but it's hard to believe as acute as this feels for me. And you 25 years later, you know, there they were not alive on that day, and and a vast swath of our country was not alive on that day. So it's it's really difficult to with words convey what it meant, what it meant to that moment, what it meant to our history, what it meant to what was happening around the world, and It it's it's not something that I want to burden them with, but I don't I want them to never forget because I think it's important that we understand the sacrifices of that day and the two thousand nine hundred and seventy seven souls that were lost.
speaker-0: Yeah. In the twenty five years since then, you have said actually remarkably little in terms of public comments about nine eleven. You once wrote over the and I'm quoting, over the years I've struggled with how to talk about my experiences or even acknowledge that day. And so Scott, like twenty five years later, what do you want all of us to know about nine eleven? And what do you want us to know about America?
speaker-1: America is still that shining city on the hill. We are the beacon of freedom. We are the place that people around the world look to for hope, for protection from evil forces. It's unfortunate that a twisted ideology, a terrorist ideology. did so much damage on that day. But I want people to know that this country is strong despite all of our problems that we may see on the news on a daily basis or see on social media. This country is a mighty and great country and that we have as Americans Both an opportunity and an obligation to continue to be that beacon of freedom for people who aren't able to live out their lives in the ways that they want to. by expanding freedom, by protecting the vulnerable, I believe it's important that people remember the good that we can bring to humanity. And in all of the horror of that day. There were so many heroes that stood up and cared for one another, protected one another, and fought for one another in a way that we should never s forget. those moments of hum humanity and sacrifice. And
speaker-0: What can each of us do to honor the day, Scott? Like something tangible.
speaker-1: I think reflect it's a it can be a day of service as well. A lot of companies have moved into that space of making it a day of service. Do something, anything, a small thing for others. If you're if you're at Starbucks and you see someone in uniform, get their coffee. Thank them for the sacrifices that they make to protect our way of life. if you're so inclined, you know, help those who are less fortunate. reflect on what made this country great. Get away from the distractions and the partisan politics that that certainly fill up our news feeds and our social feeds, and remember what made us great. And that to me is the way that that you can commemorate this day in a way that is positive and can help us build even brighter futures.
speaker-0: Scott, I can't help but notice that there's an American flag over your left shoulder. What does seeing it mean to you?
speaker-1: It's reminder every day of what we have, the experiences that I've been able to enjoy through my time in politics and government, and just honestly as a citizen of this great country. It's something that I'm very proud that my civically minded but not very political parents encouraged me to engage in what What mattered to me and in my earlier years politics and government was something that mattered a great deal. And I was able to find a path to the White House to contribute in a way that I will always feel proud about. And that American flag in my office is just a small reminder of of where we live and the gratitude that I have for being an American.
speaker-0: And to kids now who say that they are dispirited by politics, what advice do you give kids who who who want to make a difference but feel dispirited?
speaker-1: Take that frustration and put it into action. This country does not work when people are disengaged. This country works well when everybody's engaged and willing to, you know, tell somebody how they feel about an issue. They're willing to go door to door for a candidate they believe in. They're willing to show up at a phone bank to turn someone out on a dreary. maybe very ice cold Iowa day during the caucuses. All of it all of it matters to our system. It's not easy. It is certainly not perfect, but in my view it's not an option to s sit back and say it's all broken, so therefore it will stay broke. You have no idea how much difference individuals can make in our process. And the more we are engaged, the more we stand up for principles that I think we were founded on, the better off we will all be. And it does not matter where you are on the political spectrum. If a h I know that if a hundred percent of our citizens were engaged in their in their government, it would get much, much better. Yeah. It would just be that much better. And so I just encourage them to to not lose hope, to understand that the The viral moment of the day or the snarky clip of the day is not us. It is just oftentimes performative and we're bigger than that and we should have we should have higher ideals than that.
speaker-0: Scott, thank you so much for representing those ideals today as you've shared with us about your experience on nine eleven, what you want us to know twenty five years later, for your courage that day driving back to the office past the Pentagon when so many folks were driving the opposite direction out of the city. Thank you for for spending some time with me and my listeners today.
speaker-1: Thank you, Jonathan. Great to be with you.
speaker-0: Yeah.