Families of the victims of the Sept. 11 attacks say they are “greatly distressed” that the Obama administration is working to derail legislation giving them the right to sue the government of Saudi Arabia for any role that elements of the Saudi government may have played in the attack.
“Your place in history should not be marked by a campaign to foreclose the judicial process as a venue in which the truth can be found,” more than a dozen relatives of Sept. 11 victims wrote to President Barack Obama.
The family members also urged Obama to permit the declassification and release of U.S. intelligence bearing on the topic of possible Saudi involvement in the attacks.
At issue is a bill that would allow victims’ families to hold the Saudi government liable in U.S. court.
“It is not acceptable … to succumb to the demands of a foreign government that we abandon principles of American justice while we pursue our diplomatic goals,” the families wrote.
House Speaker Paul Ryan tiptoed into the swelling controversy Tuesday, telling reporters that lawmakers need to review the bill “to make sure that we’re not making mistakes with our allies.” Obama is traveling to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday as part of an overseas trip.
“The White House is opposed to it. It’s received some opposition here. We’re going to let these things work the process,” said Ryan, R-Wis. He noted that the White House is sure to promise a veto and “we’ll see where it goes from there.”
The White House says it opposes the bill because it could expose Americans overseas to legal risk and could damage the U.S. relationship with the Saudi government. The Kingdom has threatened to pull billions of dollars from the U.S. economy if the legislation is enacted.
“If we open up the possibility that individuals in the United States can routinely start suing other governments, then we are also opening up the United States to being continually sued by individuals in other countries,” Obama said in an interview with CBS News.
Top bill sponsor John Cornyn, R-Texas, dismissed Obama’s objections to his Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act.
“It makes minor adjustments to our laws to help Americans who are attacked on U.S. soil get justice from those who sponsor and facilitate that terrorist attack,” Cornyn said.
Cornyn said Tuesday he has not discussed with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell whether he supports the bill and when McConnell may schedule it for consideration by the full Senate.
“My hope is that if there are no objections to proceeding, that we can take the bill up and pass it without any delay,” he said.
But Cornyn said that’s unlikely to happen while Obama visits Saudi Arabia this week.
“I think we’re all kind of sensitive to the fact of where the president is right now,” he said. “Maybe it would be appropriate to wait a day or two until he returns. But I’m not willing to throw the 9-11 victims under the bus because of the botched and misguided policies of the administration dealing with Iran.”
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., the Armed Services chairman, said he’s concerned the bill may have unintended consequences and he’s looking at the legislation carefully.
He cited the threat by Saudi Arabia to “unload hundreds of billions of dollars in assets” if the bill is enacted. The Saudis also are key U.S. allies in the fight against the Islamic State group and Syrian President Bashar Assad, McCain said.
“We need the relationship,” he said.
Sen. Richard Burr, R-N.C., the chairman of the Intelligence committee, said he opposed the bill that has some 22 Senate co-sponsors.
Obama’s visit promises to address a host of issues concerning the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia, a key ally in fighting terrorism and bolstering stability in the region. The Saudis have long pushed, with no success, for more aggressive U.S. military action to counter Iran in Syria and Iraq.
Ryan said the legislation on Sept. 11 victims did not come up when he met with Saudi officials on a trip to the Middle East.
Senior senators in both parties, such as Minority Whip Cornyn and Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York, support the legislation. Schumer broke with Obama on last year’s nuclear weapons agreement with Iran, which was also strongly opposed by Republicans.
The Associated Press contributed to this article.
The families are “greatly distressed.” What, they haven’t known since he lied, and lied and lied, and obama and his wife attended the ceremony while they both disrespected 9/11 and its victims; that they care nothing about America or its people … unless of course, we are turned into muslim, socialist, communists, progressive, liberal sheep to be herded by the political dogs of their ilk.
YUP OSAMA OBAMA WILL GIVE LIP SERVICE TO THE 9/11 FAMILIES , AND AMERICANS , WHILE HE BOWS DOWN TO , AND KISSES THE RING OF, A FOREIGH DICTATOR AND MASS MURDERER AND FUNDER OF MUSLIM TERRORISM THAT HAVE KILLED HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS MEN WOMEN AND CHILDREN. OSAMA OBAMA IS A TERRORIST ENABLER,A SPINELESS COWARD, AN AMERICAN DISGRACE,AND A TRAITOR TO AMERICA AND IT’S AMERICAN PEOPLE
Where was the liar on 9/11 probably smoking his crack obummer is a disgrace this country and a few years ago his thing michele were down at Ground Zero and she was heard saying all this for a flag. Obummer should be exiled to Iran with no money it is our money he is the sperm of satan
I have heard from a different source that the Saudies have about $750 billion in treasury bonds that they will put on the market if the US sues. If you have a large balance in a checking/savings account you do not want that to happen! Nothing is certain, but dumping that much debt on the market all at once would probably encourage other countries to do the same, since nobody wants to be the last one out the door. This is what a run on the dollar looks like. If you think that’s going to happen you want to get out of the way by buying some gold, silver, land or anything that will hold its value in a dollar crash.
I am tempted not to post anything here for my lack of practical knowledge. However, I would appreciate some logical insight from other posts. Although my emotions are the same as most of you concerning 9/11 and I would love to wipe the towel heads from the face of the earth, I do not think this would be a very prudent thing to do. Also, I am not sure that suing the Saudi’s is the answer either, for that would be prosecuting a Country on the same premise as a Citizen. What I mean is this: We are at war and in the past, Obumer has been treating the enemy as common criminals. This is a very dangerous way to fight a war because it ties the hands of the military as being police instead of being fighters. When I was in basic training in 1970, our drill sergeant used to holler out to the top of his lungs: “What’s the spirit of a combat fighter”? and we returned with the same loud and definite reply: “TO KILL! TO KILL! TO KILL!”. Folks, I know it sounds mean and ugly, but if we are going to win a war, that is exactly what our soldiers are going to have to do.
Therefore, I am with the thoughts that suing a Nation is out of the question. What we need to do is fight a war, lest we all die.
Please don’t be down on me with your post. I love America (We The People) with all my heart. I am only asking for some insight and discussion from the intelligent people on this sight.
America has been bought and paid for by the muslims of the middle east and Pakistan , so good bye America and its best to vote in trump and have a civil war . worker against rich . poor against wealthy or whatever suits the people but first rid yourself of the ruling elite and embedded muslims in the government and start with soros .Hillary and Obama and his bitch ,this is for the flag and Obama scratching his balls during the anthem instead of his hand on his heart ,but then second thought perhaps his heart is down there