Don DeBar, a radio host and TV commentator based in NY, made the comments on Saturday, after the US Congress unanimously passed a bill that would authorize victims of the 9/11 attacks to sue the Saudi government. “There are always diplomatic considerations that get in the way of justice, but if a court proves the Saudis were complicit in 9/11, they should be held accountable”, Sen.
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DeBar noted that the entire procedure of investigating Saudi Arabia’s role in the 9/11 attacks and releasing the relevant information has been like “extracting teeth in the courts”.
President Obama vowed again to reject the measure, but lawmakers could overturn one of his vetoes for the first time if they secure enough votes.
“If they’ve done nothing wrong, they have nothing to worry about”, said Democratic Senator Chuck Schumer of NY, a vocal advocate for the measure.
The White House has expressed opposition to the bill. If they’ve done nothing wrong, they have nothing to worry about.
Obama is expected to veto the bill. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers were Saudi citizens.
A key US ally, Saudi Arabia has strongly objected to the bill and has denied any role in the terror attacks though 15 of the 19 hijackers that carried them out were of Saudi descent.
However, an alleged 28 classified pages from a 2002 Congressional Joint Inquiry into 9/11 were rumored to contain direct evidence of this Saudi involvement.
Proponents of the bill argue that the legislation – titled the “Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act” (JASTA) – will bring justice to victims as well as deter global terrorism.
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. President Obama, however, has threatened to veto the bill, which essentially strips foreign nations of immunity from American lawsuits.
“I know that the advocates of this legislation have suggested that they have taken into account our concerns by more narrowly tailoring the legislation”. The White House warns that foreign countries or individuals could, in turn, bring legal action against the United States to address past grievances.
Lawmakers had been under intense pressure from the September 11 families to pass JASTA before the 15th anniversary of the attacks on Sunday.
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Before the Senate approved the measure in May, Saudi Arabia threatened to sell off hundreds of billions of dollars worth of U.S. assets if the legislation became law. Bi-partisan members of both the House and Senate took part in a memorial service for the almost 3,000 victims of the attacks just after the House passed the bill.
