President Barack Obama vetoed a bill that would allow family members of victims to sue Saudi Arabia over its ties to terrorists who conducted the 9/11 attacks.
Leaders in Congress are planning to hold override votes in an effort to overturn Mr Obama’s decision. However, the White House claims that the bill could expose US diplomats and servicemen to lawsuits from foreign countries.
“Removing sovereign immunity in US courts from foreign governments that are not designated as state sponsors of terrorism, based solely on allegations that such foreign governments’ actions abroad had a connection to terrorism-related injuries on U.S. soil, threatens to undermine these longstanding principles that protect the United States, our forces, and our personnel,” the president wrote in his veto message to Congress.
White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest said that the administration has been receiving “conflicting signals from members of Congress” regarding the possibility of an override.
“The president’s not blind to the politics of this situation,” Mr Earnest told reporters on Friday, saying that vetoing legislation favoring 9/11 victims is politically inconvenient. “[President Obama is] willing to take some heat” due to the risks of national security should the legislation go into effect.
