Gingrich ‘rewrites 9/11 history.’

A new advertisement by Newt Gingrich linking the threat of terrorism to the immigration debate “rewrites 9/11 history.”

“Mohamed Atta, and several other 9/11 hijackers were in the United States illegally,” Gingrich begins the ad. Photos of Atta and other 9/11 hijackers appear and the word “Illegally” — printed in bold, red letters — flashes over the screen.

“Today, more than five years since that tragic day, our borders remain open to gangs, drug dealers and terrorists,” says Gingrich in the ad.

However, according to the 9/11 Commission Report, Gingrich’s statement is incorrect.

“Atta was in the country legally on 9/11,” said Janice Kephart, a former counsel to the 9/11 Commission and co-author of the commission’s report on 9/11 and Terrorist Travel.

All of the 19 men who hijacked planes on September 11th, including Atta, entered the United States on a tourist or student visa, issued by the former U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service, according to the 9/11 Commission.

Watch the ad: