US Vets Exploited By Saudi Arabia Into Lobbying Against 9/11 Bill

New proof has emerged that Saudi Arabia paid at least one US lobbying group to bring military veterans to Washington to lobby for changes to JASTA.

MintPress News Desk
By MintPress News Desk
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Al-Jubeir meet at the State Department in Washington, Thursday, March 23, 2017. (AP/Sait Serkan Gurbuz)

WASHINGTON DC - While many consider the pro-Israel lobby to be the most powerful foreign influence bloc in U.S. politics, others have long argued that the lobbying power of Saudi Arabia is more powerful and the key driver of U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East and beyond. However, those who have asserted the Saudis’ influence in Washington DC is

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Saudi Arabia Lobbying To Amend Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act

“We believe the law, that curtails sovereign immunities, represents a grave danger to the international system,” Saudi Arabia’s foreign minister said at a joint press conference with visiting US Secretary of State John Kerry.

ZeroHedge.com
By ZeroHedge.com
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, left, meets with Saudi King Salman right, in what likely will be his last visit as America’s top diplomat, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2016. (SPA via AP)

Following last week's report that Saudi Arabia is starting to apply pressure on the incoming Trump administration by hinting it could move the Aramco IPO away from New York to some still undetermined venue due to concerns the recently passed Sept 11 law could make business in the US problematic, on Sunday Saudi Arabia's foreign minister said he has

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Iraqis Use 9/11 Victims Bill To Demand Compensation From US For 2003 Invasion

In light of a bill passed by the US Congress allowing families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia, Iraqis have asked their parliament to demand compensation for the US invasion of Iraq.

Sputnik News
By Sputnik News
Iraqi Torture

After the US Congress passed the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), which overrides the principle of sovereign immunity to allow families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia, an Iraqi group has requested parliament to prepare a lawsuit seeking compensation from the US for the invasion of Iraq. The "Arab Project in Iraq" lobby

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Lawyers Scramble To Sue Saudis Over 9/11 Before Congress Reneges On JASTA

At least one suit was already filed in Washington D.C. by the widow of a Navy officer killed in the attack on the Pentagon

Jason Ditz
By Jason Ditz
Pedestrians pass the mural "9/11" that is installed on the facade of the Century 21 department store, Wednesday, Sept 10, 2014, in New York.

In the wake of Wednesday’s high-profile veto override votes in the House and Senate, the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) became law, and with it, victims of 9/11 and their families gained the right to sue Saudi Arabia in US courts over their involvement in the lead-up to the attack. Lawyers are scrambling to quickly file such

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White House: Veto Override ‘The Single Most Embarrassing Thing’ Senate Has Done

White House spokesman Josh Earnest terming the override “an abdication” of the Senate’s basic responsibilities to represent the people, and “the single most embarrassing thing that the United States Senate has done.”

Jason Ditz
By Jason Ditz
Barack Obama pauses as he speaks during a news conference at the G-7 summit

After weeks of heavily lobbying the Senate to kill the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), there was no consoling the White House for a decisive loss today. The Senate voted 97-1 to override President Obama’s veto of JASTA, and the House quickly followed suit, albeit in a slightly closer vote. JASTA would allow 9/11 victims’

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Defense Secretary Says 9/11 Victims Bill Would Expose “American Secrets”

Defense Secretary Ash Carter argued that a lawsuit against Saudi Arabia over 9/11 would lead to “an intrusive discovery process,” and ultimately lead to the public disclosure of “American secrets.”

Jason Ditz
By Jason Ditz
Defense Secretary Ash Carter, accompanied by Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford, testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington.

With a veto override vote scheduled for Wednesday in the Senate, Defense Secretary Ash Carter is doing some last minute public lobbying against the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), which previously passed unanimously in both the House and Senate. JASTA would allow the families of victims of the 9/11 attacks to sue Saudi Arabia

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