President Obama has said Congress made a “mistake” by overriding his veto and pushing through a bill that allows legal action against Saudi Arabia over the 9\/11 attacks.<\/p>\n
He said the bill would set a “dangerous precedent” for individuals around the world to sue the US government.<\/p>\n
Wednesday’s vote was the first time Mr Obama’s veto power was overruled.<\/p>\n
CIA Director John Brennan agreed that the bill carried “grave implications” for national security.<\/p>\n
He added: “The downside is potentially huge.”<\/p>\n
The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism (JASTA) legislation opens the door for victims’ families to sue any member of the Saudi government suspected of playing a role in the 9\/11 attacks.<\/p>\n
Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals, but the oil-rich kingdom – a key US ally – has denied any role in the attacks, which left nearly 3,000 people dead.<\/p>\n
While US intelligence raised suspicions about some of the hijackers’ connections, no link has been proven to support claims that Saudi officials provided financial support to the suspects.<\/p>\n
Mr Obama told CNN on Wednesday: “It’s a dangerous precedent and it’s an example of why sometimes you have to do what’s hard.<\/p>\n
“And, frankly, I wish Congress here had done what’s hard.
\n“The concern that I’ve had has nothing to do with Saudi Arabia per se or my sympathy for 9\/11 families.<\/p>\n
“It has to do with me not wanting a situation where we’re suddenly exposed to liabilities for all the work that we’re doing all around the world and suddenly finding ourselves subject to private lawsuits.”<\/p>\n
But families of the victims and their lawyers have dismissed these concerns.<\/p>\n
“We rejoice in this triumph and look forward to our day in court and a time when we may finally get more answers regarding who was truly behind the attacks,” said Terry Strada, national chair of the 9\/11 Families & Survivors United for Justice Against Terrorism.<\/p>\n
‘Most embarrassing’<\/strong> “If you’re perceived as voting against 9\/11 families right before an election, not surprisingly, that’s a hard vote for people to take.<\/p>\n “But it would have been the right thing to do.”<\/p>\n The Senate voted 97-1 and the House of Representatives 348-77, meaning the bill becomes law.<\/p>\n White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters the vote was “the single most embarrassing thing the United States Senate has done” in decades.<\/p>\n But the measure’s supporters contended the legislation only applies to acts of terrorism that have occurred on US soil – and side-swiped at Mr Obama for his perceived prioritising of relations with Saudi Arabia.<\/p>\n “The White House and the executive branch (are) far more interested in diplomatic considerations,” said Democratic New York Senator Chuck Schumer.<\/p>\n “We’re more interested in the families and in justice.”<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n Source: BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" President Obama has said Congress made a “mistake” by overriding his veto and pushing through a bill that allows legal action against Saudi Arabia over the 9\/11 attacks. He said the bill would set a “dangerous precedent” for individuals around the world to sue the US government. Wednesday’s vote was the first time Mr Obama’s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":253181,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[107],"tags":[12150,2509,1760],"yoast_head":"\n
\nMr Obama suggested that his colleagues’ voting patterns were influenced by political concerns.<\/p>\n