Page 1 of 5
1
2
3
... LastLast
  1. #1

    Senate passes bill allowing 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia

    The Senate on Tuesday approved legislation that would allow victims of the 9/11 terror attacks to sue Saudi Arabia, defying vocal opposition from the White House.

    The upper chamber approved the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act by unanimous consent.

    "This bill is very near and dear to my heart as a New Yorker because it would allow the victims of 9/11 to pursue some small measure of justice," Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said. "[This is] another example of the [John] Cornyn-Schumer collaboration, which works pretty well around here."
    President Obama has threatened to veto the bill. Schumer said he wouldn’t uphold a veto, and expects that most senators wouldn't, either.

    "I think we easily get the two-thirds override if the president should veto," Schumer said.

    Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas) said he and Schumer are talking with leadership in both parties to get an "expedited" vote on the bill in the House.

    White House press secretary Josh Earnest reiterated Obama's opposition to the bill on Tuesday.

    “Given the concerns we have expressed, it’s difficult to imagine the president signing this legislation,” Earnest said.

    The bill would allow victims of terror attacks on U.S. soil or surviving family members to bring lawsuits against nation-states for activities supporting terrorism.

    Despite bipartisan support for the legislation, it hit a snag last month when Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said he was blocking the legislation over concerns it would open up the U.S. to lawsuits from foreigners accusing Washington of supporting terrorism.

    But Graham's office said he dropped his hold over the recent recess. Cornyn thanked Graham and other GOP senators for "their willingness to work with us to deal with their concerns."

    The legislation will now head to the House, where lawmakers have also introduced their own version of the bill.

    Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) has voiced skepticism about the legislation.

    "I think we need to look at it," Ryan told reporters last month. "I think we need to review it to make sure we are not making mistakes with our allies and we're not catching people in this that shouldn't be caught up in this."

    The comments created a rare area of agreement between GOP lawmakers and the White House, which struggled to convince Democrats that the legislation could undermine national security.

    Earnest told reporters last month that he was "gratified" by Ryan's comments.

    The legislation has also drawn criticism from the Saudi government. Top Saudi officials reportedly threatened to sell off billions of dollars in U.S. assets if Congress passed the bill.

    Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Adel al-Jubeir, pushed back against the reports in Geneva earlier this month while warning that the legislation could impact Saudi investments, according to Reuters.

    The senators pressed back against criticism that the legislation targets Saudi Arabia, noting that the legislation only allows a lawsuit.

    "Look, if the Saudis did not participate in this terrorism, they have nothing to fear about going to court," Schumer said. "If they did, they should be held accountable."

    Cornyn called the potential that Saudi Arabia could sell U.S. assets a "hollow threat," saying, "they're not going to suffer a huge financial loss in order to make a point." http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-actio...e-saudi-arabia

  2. #2
    Now let's see if the House passes it. I'll be very surprised if they do, but here's to hoping that they do.

  3. #3
    Quote Originally Posted by Chetnik View Post
    Now let's see if the House passes it. I'll be very surprised if they do, but here's to hoping that they do.
    I seriously doubt it, Paul Ryan is going to do everything he can to protect SA.
    The Fresh Prince of Baudelaire

    Banned at least 10 times. Don't give a fuck, going to keep saying what I want how I want to.

    Eat meat. Drink water. Do cardio and burpees. The good life.

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by damajin View Post
    I seriously doubt it, Paul Ryan is going to do everything he can to protect SA.
    That can be said for the White House also. I bet the W.H. would veto this bill.

    I'm glad that all this evidence that points to S.A. and 911. Yet they are immune to any action.

  5. #5
    Quote Originally Posted by Shon237 View Post
    That can be said for the White House also. I bet the W.H. would veto this bill.

    I'm glad that all this evidence that points to S.A. and 911. Yet they are immune to any action.
    It's quoted in the article that Obama would veto it, but they think they've got enough support to override a veto.

    They're immune for the time being, this is a political move on the grand chessboard. What is truly curious is to what extent a precedent is set.
    The Fresh Prince of Baudelaire

    Banned at least 10 times. Don't give a fuck, going to keep saying what I want how I want to.

    Eat meat. Drink water. Do cardio and burpees. The good life.

  6. #6
    This will backfire on the US so hard. I get wanting to pursue the people responsible, but this is a witch hunt. (How exactly are they going to prove anyone was complicit in the attacks? I highly doubt we can force SA to turn over ANY information about its own citizens.) This is very likely to bite us in the ass from two fronts: We get sued by several nations over accusations of terrorism (drone strikes probably count), and we get SA possibly going through with its threat to sabotage our economy.

  7. #7
    why would they pay and who exactly do you sue... the entire country?

  8. #8
    If it goes thru the house, then OIL Prices may rise sharply as a result.

    May be time to get friendly with Venezuela again.. now that Chavez has gone

    Venezuela needs help and they have more oil than Saudi Arabia.

    http://www.reuters.com/article/us-ve...-idUSKCN0Y81UR

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by Dendrek View Post
    This will backfire on the US so hard. I get wanting to pursue the people responsible, but this is a witch hunt. (How exactly are they going to prove anyone was complicit in the attacks? I highly doubt we can force SA to turn over ANY information about its own citizens.) This is very likely to bite us in the ass from two fronts: We get sued by several nations over accusations of terrorism (drone strikes probably count), and we get SA possibly going through with its threat to sabotage our economy.
    There's besides the redacted 28 pages of the 9/11 Commission report supposedly 80k pages of additional info available.

    http://www.thedailybeast.com/article...-and-9-11.html
    The Fresh Prince of Baudelaire

    Banned at least 10 times. Don't give a fuck, going to keep saying what I want how I want to.

    Eat meat. Drink water. Do cardio and burpees. The good life.

  10. #10
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by damajin View Post
    It's quoted in the article that Obama would veto it, but they think they've got enough support to override a veto.
    LOL, what's the point of a veto if it can be overridden?

  11. #11
    Quote Originally Posted by Lei Shi View Post
    LOL, what's the point of a veto if it can be overridden?
    What's the point of Congress if all that matters is what the President says?

  12. #12
    Is this a joke? Random citizen from US suing another country as a whole? What exactly do you expect? Why don't you sue Russia for something random and see if it works first.
    Quote Originally Posted by Jtbrig7390 View Post
    True, I was just bored and tired but you are correct.

    Last edited by Thwart; Today at 05:21 PM. Reason: Infracted for flaming
    Quote Originally Posted by epigramx View Post
    millennials were the kids of the 9/11 survivors.

  13. #13
    Quote Originally Posted by Lei Shi View Post
    LOL, what's the point of a veto if it can be overridden?
    What's the point in doing anything if the odds are against you? Why stand up for a cause when the majority of people disagree with it? Probably because fighting can sometimes bring about change, while giving in never will.

  14. #14
    Deleted
    Don't see the point in this, you'll lose more than you gain.

    Want real justice, bomb them instead.

  15. #15
    can people from iraq sue america then?

  16. #16
    Quote Originally Posted by Lei Shi View Post
    LOL, what's the point of a veto if it can be overridden?
    Veto still holds enough power on its' own merits but allows for the forced passage of bills which have a sufficient amount of support to justify them. The veto override is there to protect against pure obstructionism.
    The Fresh Prince of Baudelaire

    Banned at least 10 times. Don't give a fuck, going to keep saying what I want how I want to.

    Eat meat. Drink water. Do cardio and burpees. The good life.

  17. #17
    Deleted
    We should just cut any ties with Saudi Arabia and get our stupid oil elsewhere.

    Everybody knows those bastards support terrorism and were involved in 9/11.

    Typical of Obama to protect them.

  18. #18
    Quote Originally Posted by ButterBeast View Post
    can people from iraq sue america then?
    Why not. However, I don't think a country is going to bow down to demands of few random civilians from another country. No country would, so it's pointless.
    Quote Originally Posted by Jtbrig7390 View Post
    True, I was just bored and tired but you are correct.

    Last edited by Thwart; Today at 05:21 PM. Reason: Infracted for flaming
    Quote Originally Posted by epigramx View Post
    millennials were the kids of the 9/11 survivors.

  19. #19
    Quote Originally Posted by Linadra View Post
    Is this a joke? Random citizen from US suing another country as a whole? What exactly do you expect? Why don't you sue Russia for something random and see if it works first.
    Well, pretty much all the money in the world nowadays travels through the US.

    What was funny is the Saudis threated to sell our treasuries. Turns out they only have like $128 billion of our treasuries which is chump change for us.
    .

    "This will be a fight against overwhelming odds from which survival cannot be expected. We will do what damage we can."

    -- Capt. Copeland

  20. #20
    Deleted
    Quote Originally Posted by Linadra View Post
    Why not. However, I don't think a country is going to bow down to demands of few random civilians from another country. No country would, so it's pointless.
    Germany apparently did, when Erdogan demanded it, lol.

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •