Obama Vetoes Bill That Would Allow 9/11 Victims' Families to Sue Saudi Arabia

[Loki]

Obama Vetoes Bill That Would Allow 9/11 Victims' Families to Sue Saudi Arabia



The move sets the stage for a congressional override, and US lawmakers say they are confident they will be able to overturn the veto.
The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act passed through Congress with ease earlier in September, and would permit lawsuits against Riyadh in connection with the September 11 attacks.

Though the Saudi government denies any involvement in the 2001 massacre that left nearly 3,000 people dead, many have long suspected that the hijackers of four planes that crashed into targets in New York, Washington DC and rural Pennsylvania were backed by Riyadh. The White House says the veto is necessary to prevent precedent that would allow other countries' citizens to sue the US, its diplomats and servicemen.

If Congress succeeds in overriding the veto, it will be the first time in Obama's presidency. A veto requires two thirds of lawmakers to vote in favor of it, in both the Senate and House of Representatives.

"Fifteen years has passed without answers or accountability for the most horrific attack on America — we are angry, frustrated and tired,” Terry Strada, whose husband was killed at the World Trade Center in New York, told Reuters. Some key Obama in Congress have said they will stand by the bill, despite the president's objections. "I’ve worked with these families for a very long time, and I think they should have their day in court," House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi told reporters.

Persian Gulf allies of the US are, predictably, against the bill.

Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General Abdullatif al-Zayani declared that it runs “contrary to the foundations and principles of relations between states and the principle of sovereign immunity enjoyed by states.” Obama's veto follows the release of 28 declassified pages from a congressional report on 9/11, which reignited speculations over possible links of the plane hijackers to Saudi government officials. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals.

[Loki]

Shocking. This just shows what a traitor Obama is. Nothing is sacred to him, not even the memories of 9/11 victims. His friends the Saudis are more important to him.

[Poise n Pen]

Saudis are more important to most of westestern politicians than their constituents these days, but he seems to actually throw in with them completely. I can only hope Trump reverses some of the damage he's done while in office.

Plus not only did he never really leave any war zones but since then he's started even more.

[Smitty]

I didn't know an individual could sue a country. What court would that go to?

[Dr. Robotnik the Subbotnik]

Oil is much more important

[EL_BARBARO]

Not only Saudi Arabia. 9/11 terrorists came from other several muslim countries. E.g., Egypt.

[Smitty]

Not only Saudi Arabia. 9/11 terrorists came from other several muslim countries. E.g., Egypt.

True, but it's still shocking how many of them came from Saudi Arabia.

[EL_BARBARO]

True, but it's still shocking how many of them came from Saudi Arabia.

Included the "operation"' brain, Ben Laden.

[Smitty]

Included the "operation"' brain, Ben Laden.

Yes, although half Yemenite/half Syrian, by ethnicity - "a son of Yemeni Mohammed bin Awad bin Laden, a billionaire construction magnate with close ties to the Saudi royal family,[27] and Mohammed bin Laden's tenth wife" (Wikipedia). Tenth wife! Did you get that?

[Colonel Frank Grimes]

I didn't know an individual could sue a country. What court would that go to?

The Bill is very specific to domestic attacks and 9/11 to avoid people from foreign countries to sue the US for past, present, and future bombings. As much as I dislike Obama and the high probability that he's only doing this because like the previous president he owes the Saudis, I think it's hypocritical and suing the government of citizens who committed a terrorist act without a direct link to the government is not rational and hence why such a law would be unprecedented.

If anything this is US politicians showing that they "feel for you" while knowing its an empty Bill. Lets say these families win in court. The Saudis aren't gong to pay and the US government isn't going to cease Saudi assets in the US to compensate the families.