The White House threatened to veto a bipartisan bill that would allow families affected by the 9/11 terrorist attacks to sue Saudi Arabia for any role the country played during the incident.
The White House and the State Department told lawmakers not to advance the legislation due to ramifications that the United States might suffer as well as American citizens living overseas. The bill is also out of timing, as U.S. President Barack Obama is scheduled to visit Riyadh on Wednesday to discuss with Saudi Arabia over matters pertaining to ISIS and Iran.
"It could put the United States and our taxpayers and our service members and our diplomats at significant risk if other countries were to adopt a similar law," White House press secretary Josh Earnest said, as quoted by The Hill.
However, the sponsors of the 9/11 bill are adamant about proceeding with the bill.
"Saudi Arabia participated in terrorism, of course they should be able to be sued," Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said, via CNN. "This bill would allow a suit to go forward and victims of terrorism to go to court to determine if the Saudi government participated in terrorist acts. If the Saudis did, they should pay a price."
Saudi Arabia has warned of economic fallout with the United States if the bill is passed, as it threatens to sell billions of dollars-worth of American assets.
According to The New York Times, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir told lawmakers that the country would be compelled to act ahead of the legislation by selling $750 billion in treasury securities and other assets before U.S. courts could order a freeze order on them.
In response to this, Earnest said Obama is confident that Saudi will not sell its U.S. assets as it would dramatically affect their stakes in "preserving the stability of the global financial system."
CNN legal analyst Paul Callan also opined that other than economic ramifications, the 9/11 bill would undermine the concept of sovereign immunity protected by international law. It would subject the United States to lawsuits in case another country would retaliate, for instance, against the country's drone attacks.
