Rep. Walter Jones, R-N.C., called on President Obama Wednesday not to bow this week before Saudi King Abdullah, as both Obama and previous American presidents have done before.
“I call on the president not to bow to the Saudi King and the Washington D.C. lobbyists who are making obscene amounts of money lobbying on the King’s behalf,” Jones said in a statement.
Jones’ call comes amid growing criticism within the U.S. of a traditional American ally. Jones also called for greater skepticism toward the Saudis in general.
Jones is a backer of the bill making its way through Congress that would remove legal immunity from Saudi Arabia, which would allow the families of 9/11 victims to sue the country. Many of the hijackers were Saudi-born, and critics deride the Kingdom for backing a form of militant Islam called Wahibism, to which many radical elements in the Middle East subscribe.
Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., the sponsor of that proposal, said: “If they were involved the truth needs to come out and they need to be held accountable. The time for justice is long overdue… Our government should never put Saudi Arabia’s interests ahead of the American people.”
Rep. Jones also called on the government Wednesday to be fully transparent on the investigation of 9/11, and to declassify the 28 classified pages of the 9/11 commission report. Some believe those pages will reveal Saudi Arabia played a role in the attack.
“The 9/11 victims and their families deserve to know what’s in the 28 pages. They deserve answers, not a cover-up. President Obama has promised the 9/11 families he would release the 28 pages, and there isn’t a better time than now to do so,” Jones said.
“Many members of both the 9/11 Commission …. publicly support declassifying the 28 pages, along with a large bipartisan coalition of members of Congress,” a release from Jones’ office added.
