Obama Just Vetoed a Bill That Would Allow 9/11 Families to Pursue Justice
Friday, President Obama vetoed legislation — the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act — allowing 9/11 families to sue Saudi Arabia.
Fifteen of the 19 hijackers of the September 11 terror attacks were from Saudi Arabia, and it has long been suspected that people in the Saudi government helped finance those terrorists. The release this summer of the previously-classified 28 pages of the Joint Inquiry report into the 9/11 attacks renewed focus on both the events and victims of the terrorist acts.
The Senate unanimously passed the legislation that would allow the 9/11 families to sue Saudi Arabia in U.S. courts earlier this year. On Sept. 9, two days before the 15th anniversary of 9/11, the House of Representatives unanimously passed the legislation.
“I recognize that there is nothing that could ever erase the grief the 9/11 families have endured,” Obama wrote in his veto message, reports Jordan Fabian and The Hill. “Enacting JASTA into law, however would neither protect Americans from terrorist attacks nor improve the effectiveness of our response to such attacks.”
Signs are good that Obama’s veto will be overridden, which would be the first time Congress has overridden a veto during Obama’s presidency. As Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y. (F, 2%) told The Hill earlier this month, “I think we easily get the two-thirds override if the president should veto.” (For more from the author of “Obama Just Vetoed a Bill That Would Allow 9/11 Families to Pursue Justice” please click HERE)
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