Obama Administration Sides With Saudis Over 9/11 Families

The Obama Administration filed a brief with the Supreme Court to shield Saudi terrorist financiers from a U.S. lawsuit more than two weeks ago. Almost 600 family members of 9/11 victims filed the suit in 2004 alleging that five Saudi princes financed the attacks that killed almost 3,000 civilians.

The lower courts rejected the case arguing that the U.S. has no jurisdiction over the Saudi princes because they were not “primary wrongdoers” but a recent federal case against an Islamic charity that financed Hamas has established a precedent whereby financiers are considered primary wrongdoers alongside the terrorists themselves and thus can be sued under U.S. law.

The 9/11 families are relying on this precedent as well as that established by the families and victims who sued the Libyan government for the terror attacks on UTA 772, Pan Am 73 and Pan Am 103.

But the Obama Administration is ignoring these precedents in an assertion that the national interest of the United States is best served by maintaining a cordial relationship with Saudi princes rather than holding autocratic royals accountable for their ties to terrorists.

This assertion is emotionally and intellectually offensive and should be brought to the attention of the American people but beyond a report filed by CBS, the case has received little national attention.

The Bush Administration demonstrated a similar preference to protect the sensibilities of Saudi royals over the interests of American citizens but Obama was supposed to be different. Instead, American policy toward Saudi Arabia continues to be dominated by a misguided real politik that has not yet adjusted to the post 9/11 environment.

The last eight years of the War on Terror have proved what an important factor finances play in terrorist activity. For this reason, the federal government has pursued cases against charities funneling money to terrorists and frozen the bank accounts of prominent terrorist financiers.

This lawsuit brought by 9/11 Families United to Bankrupt Terrorism is suing five Saudi princes who directly financed al Qaeda and operated charities fronting for them. But they shouldn’t even have to go after these individuals. The U.S. government should have already acted to freeze their accounts and confiscate their U.S. property.

As important as the U.S.-Saudi relationship is, the Saudis need to understand that they no longer have carte blanche to facilitate the spread of terrorism and the radical Islam that justifies it. Eradicating terrorism and holding both its perpetrators and their benefactors accountable both financially and criminally should be considered our foremost national interest.

It’s time to stop coddling Saudi Arabia’s outmoded royal family and hold them to the same standards as the rest of the Muslim World. This lawsuit is a good start and, even if the Obama Administration doesn’t reverse its position, I hope that the Supreme Court hears the case.