The New York Times reports (and Yahoo! News repeats without any paywall) that the government of Saudi Arabia is threatening to sell $750 billion in treasury securities and other unidentified assets if Congress passes the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act. The bill would allow foreign governments to be sued by 9/11 victims and their families. The threat was issued by Saudi Arabian foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir to unnamed US lawmakers while he was visiting Washington sometime last month, on the grounds that these assets could be in danger of being frozen by US courts.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 17 2016, @12:52AM
They don't need us to protect their oil interests. They just don't want to get their own hands dirty. If there is definitive proof that Saudi officials helped with 9/11, then I have no problems with them getting sued.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 17 2016, @01:05AM
They are getting their hands dirty in Yemen.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Sunday April 17 2016, @03:01AM
The courts (US and elsewhere) can be a frightful nuisance to the innocent. If I had the power of the Saudi Royals, I wouldn't sit idly by as US lawmakers move toward putting Billions of my assets in jeopardy of seizure / being tied up for decades while a foreign court decides if I have any responsibility for some idiot nephew who went out and did boneheaded things without my knowledge, permission, or blessing.
And, there's probably just enough dirt, just enough innuendo and rumor and radically leaning family members to lend credence to claims that the Royal Family did back the attacks. Why let a foreign country threaten to seize your assets when you can threaten to demolish their economy first?
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday April 17 2016, @01:05PM
And, there's probably just enough dirt, just enough innuendo and rumor and radically leaning family members to lend credence to claims that the Royal Family did back the attacks.
Over a decade ago the House of Saud was roughly 30,000 people. [theatlantic.com] Even the upper tier, official princes, number at least 4,000. Any group that large is going to have outliers in all directions.