rising_pakistan
Minister (2k+ posts)
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US Senate's 9/11 vote raises heat on Saudi Arabia
Saudi stocks are tanking after the kingdom slashed worker pay
Saudi Arabia Has Ways to Hit Back at 9/11 Lawsuit Effort
The Risks of Suing the Saudis for 9/11
Senate overwhelmingly votes to override Obama veto on 9/11 bill
The president vetoed a bill that would allow citizens to sue foreign governments for terrorism on U.S. soil. Video provided by Newsy Newslook
WASHINGTON The Senate voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to override President Obama's veto of legislation allowing lawsuits against foreign sponsors of terrorism, setting up an almost certain and historic defeat for the White House on the bill.
The House is expected to follow suit within hours, making it the first veto of Obamas presidency that has been overturned by Congress.
Obama vetoed the legislation Friday because he said the bill known as the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, or JASTA would infringe on the presidents ability to conduct foreign policy. It was the 12th veto of his presidency.
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But after an intense, lengthy push by 9/11 survivors and families of victims who want to sue Saudi Arabia based on claims the country played a role in the 2001 terror attack, even Obamas Democratic allies on Capitol Hill voted to override his veto. The final vote tally was 97-1. Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-.Nev., cast the sole vote against override.
"In our polarized politics of today, this is pretty much close to a miraculous occurrence," said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. Democrats and Republicans in both cambers have agreed, he said, that the bill "gives the victims of the terrorist attack on our own soil an opportunity to seek the justice they deserve.".
The top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said he shared some of Obama's concerns but said the victims' rights outweighed them.
"We cannot in good conscience close the courthouse door to those families who have suffered unimaginable losses," Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., said.
Over in the House, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has already signaled she will vote to override the veto.
I've worked with these families for a very long time, and I think they should have their day in court, she told reporters.
The measure was approved in the House by voice vote earlier this month and sailed through the Senate by unanimous consent in May. In recent weeks, however, there has been some pushback against the bill, which would create an exception to sovereign immunity, the doctrine that holds one country cant be sued in another countrys courts.
Former ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton and former U.S. Attorney Michael Mukasey, both of whom served under President George W. Bush, warned in a Wall Street Journal op-ed earlier this month that the legislation could open Americans to such suits abroad.
An errant drone strike that kills non-combatants in Afghanistan could easily trigger lawsuits demanding that U.S. military or intelligence personnel be hauled into foreign courts, they wrote.
Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee, and committee Chairman Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, have reached out to colleagues in recent days asking them to reconsider support for the bill. Thornberry sent them a letter saying that in addition to putting Americans abroad in legal jeopardy, the move undermines the United States reliability as an ally.
We must work with other nations, even imperfect ones, he wrote. Requiring their government officials to participate in and give testimony in lawsuits even when nothing has been proven will create tensions and lead to less cooperation. I believe the net result will harm our security.
source
US Senate's 9/11 vote raises heat on Saudi Arabia
Saudi stocks are tanking after the kingdom slashed worker pay
Saudi Arabia Has Ways to Hit Back at 9/11 Lawsuit Effort
The Risks of Suing the Saudis for 9/11
Senate overwhelmingly votes to override Obama veto on 9/11 bill
The president vetoed a bill that would allow citizens to sue foreign governments for terrorism on U.S. soil. Video provided by Newsy Newslook
WASHINGTON The Senate voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to override President Obama's veto of legislation allowing lawsuits against foreign sponsors of terrorism, setting up an almost certain and historic defeat for the White House on the bill.
The House is expected to follow suit within hours, making it the first veto of Obamas presidency that has been overturned by Congress.
Obama vetoed the legislation Friday because he said the bill known as the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, or JASTA would infringe on the presidents ability to conduct foreign policy. It was the 12th veto of his presidency.
[/FONT]
But after an intense, lengthy push by 9/11 survivors and families of victims who want to sue Saudi Arabia based on claims the country played a role in the 2001 terror attack, even Obamas Democratic allies on Capitol Hill voted to override his veto. The final vote tally was 97-1. Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-.Nev., cast the sole vote against override.
"In our polarized politics of today, this is pretty much close to a miraculous occurrence," said Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas. Democrats and Republicans in both cambers have agreed, he said, that the bill "gives the victims of the terrorist attack on our own soil an opportunity to seek the justice they deserve.".
The top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee said he shared some of Obama's concerns but said the victims' rights outweighed them.
"We cannot in good conscience close the courthouse door to those families who have suffered unimaginable losses," Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., said.
Over in the House, Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., has already signaled she will vote to override the veto.
I've worked with these families for a very long time, and I think they should have their day in court, she told reporters.
The measure was approved in the House by voice vote earlier this month and sailed through the Senate by unanimous consent in May. In recent weeks, however, there has been some pushback against the bill, which would create an exception to sovereign immunity, the doctrine that holds one country cant be sued in another countrys courts.
Former ambassador to the United Nations John Bolton and former U.S. Attorney Michael Mukasey, both of whom served under President George W. Bush, warned in a Wall Street Journal op-ed earlier this month that the legislation could open Americans to such suits abroad.
An errant drone strike that kills non-combatants in Afghanistan could easily trigger lawsuits demanding that U.S. military or intelligence personnel be hauled into foreign courts, they wrote.
Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., ranking member on the House Armed Services Committee, and committee Chairman Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, have reached out to colleagues in recent days asking them to reconsider support for the bill. Thornberry sent them a letter saying that in addition to putting Americans abroad in legal jeopardy, the move undermines the United States reliability as an ally.
We must work with other nations, even imperfect ones, he wrote. Requiring their government officials to participate in and give testimony in lawsuits even when nothing has been proven will create tensions and lead to less cooperation. I believe the net result will harm our security.
source
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