“That is still the plan”, Earnest said.
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Republican Sen. John Cornyn of Texas, who introduced the bill, had called on Obama to sign the bill after it passed in the House.
The bill amends a law from 1976 that gives foreign countries immunity from lawsuits from the United States, and allows lawsuits from Americans against nations directly involved in terrorist attacks against United States citizens. Leaders of the fight for the JASTA bill expressed confidence on Tuesday that the votes exist in both houses for a clear 2/3 majority to over-ride any Obama veto.
Earnest said the bill – which passed the House unanimously on Friday – has not yet been presented to the President. “It only applies to acts of terrorism that are supported or funded or planned by a foreign government”, King said.
However since 2016 is an election year not only for the White House but also for many members of Congress, it’s highly unlikely any such vote would take place before Election Day on November 8.
While the 9/11 Commission found him to be an “unlikely candidate for clandestine involvement” with Islamic extremists, the new document says that Federal Bureau of Investigation files indicated al-Bayoumi had “extensive contact with Saudi government establishments in the United States and received financial support from a Saudi company affiliated with the Saudi Ministry of Defense”. The bill would revise immunity laws now sheltering Saudis from American lawsuits in US courts, making it possible for the families to finally get justice, and its passage comes right around the 15th anniversary of the attacks. If Obama vetoes the bill, then it will be sent once more for the congress to vote.
The move represents the latest chapter in an increasingly strained relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States, precipitated not least by the nuclear deal with Iran and the consequent easing of sanctions – a development that Saudi Arabia fears will allow its regional rival to prosper and grow in influence. It has threatened to sell off $750 billion in American assets if it becomes law.
The White House left no doubt that President Obama would veto a bill allowing victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks to sue Saudi Arabia in federal courts, saying it would expose us interests to be sued in foreign courts.
Under U.S. law, victims can sue a country designated as a state sponsor of terrorism, like Iran.
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It “contravenes the foundations and principles of relations between states, notably sovereign immunity”, GCC Secretary General Abdullatif al-Zayani was quoted as saying by Reuters and other news agencies.
