Obama Vetoes 9/11 Bill That Would Allow Lawsuits Against Saudi Arabia

President Obama on Friday vetoed the "Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act," or JASTA, a bill that would allow families of the victims of the 9/11 attacks to sue Saudi Arabia.

Soon after the bill passed the House earlier this month, the Obama administration indicated the president would veto the bill.

In a veto message sent Friday, Obama said he has deep sympathy for the families of the victims of 9/11 as well as a deep appreciation of the families' desire to pursue justice, saying he is "strongly committed" to assisting the families in their effort.

Allowing JASTA would be "detrimental" to U.S. national interests more broadly, Obama said. The bill would allow litigation against countries that have not been designated as state sponsors of terrorism, removing sovereign immunity, nor taken direct action in the United States to carry out an attack in the country.

However, a congressional override of the veto is expected. If successful, it would be the first time Congress would override a veto under Obama. White House press secretary Josh Earnest told reporters on Friday the administration is continuing to make a forceful case to members of Congress that overriding the veto would mean the country will start pursuing a less-forceful approach in dealing with state sponsors of terrorism.

Earnest also said private concerns expressed by lawmakers don't match public votes that are cast.

Obama said JASTA would depart from longstanding standards and practices under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, threatening to strip foreign governments of immunity from judicial process in the United States. If there is any indication that a foreign government played a role in a terrorist attack on U.S. soil, one of the tools available to the U.S. is designating the country a state sponsor of terrorism, which leads to the country being stripped of its sovereign immunity before U.S. courts. Obama said JASTA would invite "consequential decisions" to be made based upon "incomplete information" and could risk different courts reaching different conclusions about the level of fault of foreign governments and their role in terrorist activities in the U.S.

The bill could also have serious implications for U.S. national interests and could allow foreign governments to act reciprocally against the U.S., Obama said. Lastly, the president said the bill could create complications with the U.S.'s closest allies. However, as noted by the New York Times, supporters of the bill say exceptions to the standards and practices already exist and the bill only seeks to add another narrow one.

The measure was met with objection by Saudi Arabia, a key U.S. ally in the Middle East. Fifteen of the 19 hijackers from 9/11 were Saudi nationals. The Washington Post reported that Saudi Arabia considerably stepped up lobbying efforts this week as Congress prepared for the veto.

"We are outraged and dismayed at the President’s veto of JASTA and the unconvincing and unsupportable reasons that he offers as explanation," a group consisting of thousands of family members of victims and survivors of the attack said in a statement. "No matter how much the Saudi lobbying and propaganda machine may argue otherwise, JASTA is a narrowly drawn statute that restores longstanding legal principles that have enjoyed bipartisan support for decades. It will deter terrorism and hold accountable those nations that support and fund it."

The group, 9/11 Families & Survivors United for Justice Against Terrorism, said they look forward to the override.

“It’s disappointing the President chose to veto legislation unanimously passed by Congress and overwhelmingly supported by the American people," Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), who co-authored the legislation along with Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), said in a statement. "Even more disappointing is the President’s refusal to listen to the families of the victims taken from us on September 11th, who should have the chance to hold those behind the deadliest terrorist attack in American history accountable.

“I look forward to the opportunity for Congress to override the President’s veto, provide these families with the chance to seek the justice they deserve, and send a clear message that we will not tolerate those who finance terrorism in the United States.”

Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell has said he expects the Senate to successfully override the veto.

Patch will update this report.

With additional reporting by Marc Torrence and Allen McDuffee

Image via White House, Flickr