Congress vote on 9/11 bill, 'profound embarrassment' for Obama: Pundit
The vote in Congress approving the 9/11 victims' rights bill is a “profound embarrassment” for President Barack Obama, who saw the first veto override of his presidency, says James Fetzer, professor emeritus at University of Minnesota Duluth.
“I think when the American people begin to absorb that he [Obama] was siding with Saudi Arabia over the American people in relation to 9/11, there will be a very substantial backlash and I believe it will make a difference in the current campaign for president,” Fetzer told Press TV.
This comes as President Obama said Congress has set a “dangerous precedent” by overriding his veto of legislation allowing relatives of the victims of the September 11, 2001, attacks to sue Saudi Arabia.
On Wednesday, Senators voted 97-1 in favor of the “Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA),” which was vetoed by Obama last week, on the grounds that it would be “detrimental” to America's national security interests and its key alliances.
Saudi Arabia has strongly opposed the bill and threatened to sell off $750 billion in American assets if it becomes law.
Fetzer further said it is “highly probable” that the Saudis withdraw their assets from the United States unless they decide it is more in their interest to allow them to remain because of their “profitability.”
“It was certainly a threat that was made and if they [the Saudis] do not follow through, it would reflect on their failure to do so,” he added.
Elsewhere in his remarks, Fetzer also argued the US needs to start acting in accordance with international law and accept the role of the International Criminal Court (ICC), adding that if Washington is committing offenses abroad for which it should be held responsible, “then that is how the chips ought to be allowed to fall.”
The September 11 attacks, also known as the 9/11 attacks, were a series of strikes in the US which killed nearly 3,000 people and caused about $10 billion in property and infrastructure damage.
Of the 19 hijackers that allegedly carried out the attacks, 15 had Saudi Arabian nationality and available evidence suggests that some of them were linked to high-ranking Saudi officials.
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