Faced with an overwhelming override of President Obama’s veto of a 9/11 victims bill, the administration is planning to “fix” the package, caving in to Saudi Arabian pressure while outraging the families of the dead.
In a meeting with the Saudi foreign minister Thursday, Secretary of State John Kerry said that the administration plans to modify the plan that would allow 9/11 victims and families to sue the kingdom for its alleged role in the attacks on U.S. soil.
Sitting at State next to Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, Kerry said, “We discussed ways to try to fix this in a way that respects and honors the needs and rights of victims of 9/11 but at the same time does not expose American troops” to similar lawsuits overseas.
Al-Jubeir said that “a majority of countries” oppose the legislation, the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, and threatened retaliation if it is not changed. “There are a number of countries looking at reciprocal measures and if this takes hold we will have chaos in the international order and this is something that no country in the world wants,” he said.
The House voted 348-77, and the Senate 97-1, to override Obama’s veto. He had worried that it would cause other nations to pass similar measures, putting U.S. troops and citizens at risk of lawsuits for their actions overseas.
To “fix” the legislation, the administration would have to work with Congress, and that could be complicated by Saudi Arabia’s rush to hire lobbying firms. And the administration would have to overcome strong support from the families by Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York, in line to be majority leader if the Republicans lose control, and influential GOP leader Sen. John Cornyn.
The 9/11 families, jubilant after the override, expressed outrage Friday.
“What happened yesterday is outrageous. This meeting between Secretary Kerry and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir was a clarifying moment for the thousands of 9/11 family members who have spent years seeking justice and accountability. The fact that Secretary Kerry would lead off his public remarks not by talking about ISIS or Iraq, but instead by assuring the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia that he would work to destroy the 9/11 bill, speaks volumes and is very painful for all September 11th families,” said Terry Strada, a spokeswoman for the 9/11 Families and Survivors United for Justice Against Terrorism.
Strada, who lost her husband Tom in the World Trade Center attacks, added, “Secretary Kerry is sworn to enforce the law, not work with foreign governments to undermine it. By siding with Saudi Arabia and working to torpedo JASTA, Secretary Kerry is snubbing his constitutional obligations and asking all of us to turn our backs on our pursuit of justice.”
The group noted the battle over six years to win passage of the legislation and the massive amount of spending Saudi Arabia has forked over to K Street lobbying firms to kill it.
“Congress passed JASTA after more than six years of careful, bipartisan negotiations to guarantee that anyone, including foreign sovereigns, can be held accountable if they indeed assist in a terrorist attack on American soil. If the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia had nothing to do with 9/11, then they should make that case in a court of law instead of lobbying the State Department or spending millions of dollars on high-powered lobbyists to torpedo an important bipartisan accomplishment by this Congress,” Strada said.
Saudi Arabia’s role in the attacks has been the subject of controversy. The country rejects the claims but there are strong indications of links between top officials and two of the 9/11 hijackers.
Paul Bedard, the Washington Examiner’s “Washington Secrets” columnist, can be contacted at [email protected]
