House Speaker and former VP candidate Paul Ryan isn’t sure he wants Americans suing Saudi Arabia for its alleged involvement in 9/11. Ryan urged caution concerning a bill being considered by the Senate that would allow families of those who lost loved ones in the 9/11 tragedy to seek damages from the Saudi government. The bill is stuck in the Senate, despite bipartisan support. Sen. Lindsay Graham, one of its early co-sponsors, says he’s concerned about some of the changes that have been made to the bill since it was first written. Or he might just be having second thoughts, since potential anti-US repercussions have been brought more forcefully to the attention of lawmakers.
Despite being written by the bipartisan duo of Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX), the 9/11 bill scares people on both sides of the aisle because of potential harm it could bring the US. Critics say the bill essentially opens up a can of worms that could potentially harm the US far more than it would harm Saudi Arabia. The Obama administration, through spokesman John Earnest, that the bill could put the US at “significant risk” for similar legal actions against the US from other countries. Ryan said: “I think we need to review it to make sure that we’re not making mistakes with our allies.” President Obama is visiting Saudi Arabia this week.
