Demanding justice, at a priceUNDER pressure from families bereaved by the terror attacks of September 11th 2001, and with the threat from Islamic extremism a potent talking-point in the general-election campaign, Congress has voted overwhelmingly to allow Americans to sue foreign governments for aiding and abetting terrorist acts in America. The decision on September 28th overturned a veto by President Barack Obama and brushed aside furious lobbying by Saudi Arabia, the primary target of the new law. A vote in the Senate passed 97-1, followed by a 348-77 vote in the House of Representatives, easily clearing the two-thirds hurdle for a veto override: the first of Mr Obama’s time in office.
The vote prompted something close to presidential scorn, with Mr Obama, in an interview with CNN television, calling the congressional decision a “mistake”, driven by the desire not to be seen “voting against 9/11 families right before an election”. His press spokesman went further, calling the Senate vote “the single most embarrassing thing” the chamber had done in decades.
The law, the Justice Against Sponsors of...Continue reading
Source: United States http://ift.tt/2dxdxiH
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