Obama vows to stop any attempt at suing Saudi Arabia for sponsoring acts of terrorism

The White House reiterated Monday its vow to veto legislation recently passed by the House that would allow the families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia over the horrific attack.

“That is still the plan. The president does plan to veto this legislation,” White House Press Secretary said at his daily briefing Monday. “I do anticipate the president will veto the legislation when it is presented to him. It hasn’t been presented to him yet.”

“The way this bill is currently written exposes the U.S. … to significant risks in courts across the world,” Earnest added, repeating his boss’s rationale for his opposition to the measure. “The President believes that it’s important to look out for our country, our service members and our diplomats and allowing this bill to come into law would increase the risk that they face,” Earnest added.

The House passed the legislation, named the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), Friday by a unanimous voice vote. The Senate passed the bill in May, also by unanimous voice vote.

President Obama had repeatedly said he would veto the bill, but Earnest’s comments are the first from the White House since the passage last week.

The legislation would permit the family members to file suit against the Saudi government for any possible role that its officials played in the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon. Fifteen of the 19 terrorists involved in the 9/11 terror attacks were Saudi nationals.

Obama has warned that opening the door for lawsuits against the Saudis would leave the United State vulnerable to legal action brought by foreign nations.