Obama Says Congress Veto of Saudi 9/11 Bill a Mistake

US President Barack Obama has said that congress made a mistake by overruling his veto on Wednesday and put into effect a bill that allows legal action versus Saudi Arabia over the 9/11 attacks.

Therefore, he said that the legislation set a dangerous precedent for individuals around the world to charge the US government.

“It’s a dangerous precedent and it’s an example of why sometimes you have to do what’s hard,” Mr. Obama told CNN on Wednesday. “And, frankly, I wish Congress here had done what’s hard.”

The Justice Against Sponsors to Terrorism, or JASTA bill, finally clears the way for victims to file lawsuits seeking damages from members of the Saudi government who may have played a part in the attacks.

The oil-rich nation has denied any role in the attacks. Fifteen of the nineteen hijackers, however, were Saudi nationals.

Obama contended that putting the bill into law would be harmful to US interests. If other countries passed a similar legislation, US officials, troops and companies may be exposed.

The European Union and other US allies have opposed the bill. Dow Chemical and General Electric also contested it.

Government officials including Secretary of Defense Ash Carter disputed the bill. CIA Director John Brennan said that the bill held “grave implications” for national security.

Political considerations vs “doing the right thing”

The US president also suggested that political considerations were behind the vote.

“If you’re perceived as voting against 9/11 families right before an election, not surprisingly, that’s a hard vote for people to take.” he said on CNN. “But it would have been the right thing to do.”

Obama’s ardent Democratic supporters in congress managed to uphold all prior 11 vetoes. However, most of them linked up with Republicans to oppose him before going on the campaign trail for the November 8 elections.

The Senate voted against the veto 97-1 after the House of Representatives disapproved it 348-77.

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