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.
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One of the main grounds of the bill, called Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), is that 15 of the main perpetrators of those attacks were citizens of that Arab nation.
“I’m pleased the House has taken this huge step forward towards justice for the families of the victims of 9/11”, he said Friday after the House passed its bill.
On the other hand, it’s entirely possible Obama, who has a little more than five months left in his second final term, could see his presidential veto overridden, according to Politico.
The vote’s time was emblematic, passing two days before the 15th anniversary of the hijacked-plane attacks on Washington and NY. This summer, 28 pages of previously classified material from a congressional investigation into the 9/11 attacks concerning suspected connections between Saudi Arabian officials and the hijackers who carried out the attacks were released. Please do not post links or promotional material.
But Terry Strada, national chair for 9/11 Families United For Justice Against Terrorism, disagreed that the bill could backfire as the White House has warned.
Supporters argue that if Saudi Arabia, or any other government, is innocent of involvement in attacks, they have nothing to fear from the legislation. 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.
JASTA proponents have said the bill will give the families of 9/11 victims justice, but critics suggest the measure could greatly affect us foreign relations with Saudi Arabia and with allies.
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Democrat Senator Chuck Schumer, a co-sponsor of the bill, told reporters in May that he is confident that if the bill is vetoed the Senate would be able to override it because they do not believe the White House arguments stand up. This legislation would change longstanding global law regarding sovereign immunity. Poe said he doesn’t know if the Saudi government had a role in the attacks that killed more than 3,000 people. It doesn’t guarantee an outcome – a judge may not be convinced that the Saudi Arabia government was involved in terrorist activities.
