Facing veto threats from the White House, the US House of Representatives passed legislation that would allow relatives of victims of the 9/11 attacks to sue Saudi Arabia for its alleged role in plot.
Advertisement
The White House has expressed opposition to the bill.
“If they’ve done nothing wrong, they have nothing to worry about”, he added.
At its core, the back and forth over the measure centres on the belief, held by a number of 9/11 families and a bipartisan group of politicians, that Saudi Arabia was involved in the September 11 attacks – 15 of the 19 terrorists were Saudi. But a sponsor of the bill, Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., said lawmakers were focused only on the symbolism of bringing the bill to the floor as close to the 15th anniversary as possible.
Schumer urged the Obama administration to sign the legislation “for the sake of the families who have suffered such losses”.
The US Senate passed the “Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act”, or JASTA, unanimously in May. But the USA bill “will cause a legal revolution in worldwide law with major political consequences”. Saudi foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir threatened that they would sell $750 billion in USA assets, including treasury securities, if the bill becomes law, CNN reported.
Saudi Arabia opposes the bill and denies any involvement in the attack.
However, the White House threatens to veto the measure, saying it could strain relations with Saudi Arabia and lead to retaliatory laws against the USA around the world.
The vote comes just two months after 28 classified pages of 9/11 documents were unsealed, as reported by The Atlantic.
CNN discusses the White House reluctance to sign the 9/11 bill into law, with White House Press Secretary Earnest issuing a statement in May. “And the President of the United States continues to harbor serious concerns that this legislation would make the United States vulnerable in other court systems around the world”.
JASTA would remove sovereign immunity, preventing lawsuits against governments, for countries found to be involved in terrorist attacks on United States soil.
Supporters of the legislation, including Schumer, have voiced confidence that they would have the two-thirds majority needed to override a veto.
Advertisement
The vote came after House members from both parties briefly adjourned to commemorate the anniversary of the attacks.
