President Barack Obama had his first veto override yesterday when the US Congress voted to allow families of the 9/11 victims sue Saudi Arabia for their deaths.
According to his reply on CNN, President Obama expressed disappointment saying “The concern that I’ve had has nothing to do with Saudi Arabia per se or my sympathy for 9/11 families.
Obama further stated that his main concern “has to do with me not wanting a situation in which we’re suddenly exposed to liabilities for all the work that we’re doing all around the world, and suddenly finding ourselves subject to the private lawsuits in courts where we don’t even know exactly whether they’re on the up and up, in some cases.”
The Senate voted 97-1, with the Democratic minority leader, Harry Reid of Nevada, alone in supporting the veto. The House followed suit a short time later, voting 348-77 to override and putting Congress directly at odds with the White House and national security establishment.
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