(Newswire.net — October 2, 2016) — Only days after Congress and the House passed the bill, the first JASTA lawsuit has been filed against Saudi Arabia for allegedly providing material support to Osama bin Laden in the 9/11 attacks.
Navy Commander Patrick Dunn was killed on the morning of September 11th, when American Airlines Flight 77 was hijacked and deliberately crashed into the Pentagon. His wife, Stephanie Ross DeSimone, pregnant at the time of Commander Patrick’s death, is suing Saudi Arabia for the wrongful death and intentional infliction of emotional distress, on behalf of herself and her now teenage child.
The fact that 15 out of 19 hijackers were Saudi nationals, along with never proven allegations that Riyadh supported Al-Qaida, is enough for DeSimone to sue the entire country through a DC district court, made possible by the controversial JASTA law.
The Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) allows US citizens to sue terror-supporting states, however, it in turn allows civilians from other countries to follow the same principles and file lawsuits against the US over for example drone attacks or similar military actions.
Understanding the negative impact of such a law, US President Barack Obama vetoed it. However, the veto was overridden in both the House and Congress. As the lawmakers now seek a way to rewrite the law to diminish the negative impact on the US, many agree that it just won’t be possible.
President Obama expressed the concern about the law, blaming Congress for its hasty decision.
“The problem with that is that if we eliminate this notion of sovereign immunity, then our man and woman in uniform around the world, could potentially start seeing ourselves subject to reciprocal laws,” Obama told CNN.
“The concern that I’ve had is—has nothing to do with Saudi Arabia per se or my sympathy for 9/11 families, it 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.” Obama said.
Blaming Congress for its decision to override his veto, Obama said “It’s a dangerous precedent and it’s an example of why sometimes you have to do what’s hard. And, frankly, I wish Congress here had done what’s hard.”
Saudi Arabia itself immediately expressed “great concern” about the bill and warned of “serious unintended consequences.” Even if top Saudi officials are implicated, it is still uncertain by what means Riyadh can be made to pay any damages.
Senate majority leader Mitch McConnell himself admitted on Thursday that “nobody had really focused on the potential downside” in terms of international relationships. “I think it was just a ball dropped,” he said at press conference. However, McConnell blamed Obama for not initiating broader discussions over the negative implications of the law.