Shortly after the release of the infamous 28-pages earlier today, the White House issued a statement dismissing allegations of Saudi involvement in the attacks of 9/11. I believe such assurances are intended to prevent people from reading it in the first place, because if you actually read them, your mouth will be wide open the entire time in disbelief.
There are only two conclusions any thinking person can come to after reading the 28-pages.
1. Elements within the Saudi government ran the operations behind the 9/11 attack.
2. The U.S. government covered it up.
– From July’s post: The 28-Pages Are Way Worse Than I Thought
If you want to know just how insignificant the interests of the American people are when they happen to conflict with the profit margins of multinational corporations, the following article should leave little doubt.
Politico reports:
Saudi Arabia is mounting a last-ditch campaign to scuttle legislation allowing families of victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks to sue the kingdom — and they’re enlisting major American companies to make an economic case against the bill.
General Electric, Dow Chemical, Boeing and Chevron are among the corporate titans that have weighed in against the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act, or JASTA, which passed both chambers unanimously and was vetoed on Friday, according to people familiar with the effort. The companies are acting quietly to avoid the perception of opposing victims of terrorism, but they’re responding to Saudi arguments that their own corporate assets in the kingdom could be at risk if the law takes effect.
It’s not just corporations of course, former Senators are also in on the betrayal.
Meanwhile, Trent Lott, the former Senate majority leader who now co-leads Squire Patton Boggs’ lobbying group, e-mailed Senate legislative directors on Monday warning that the bill could lead other countries to withdraw their assets from the United States and retaliate with laws allowing claims against American government actions.
“Many foreign entities have long-standing, intimate relations with U.S. financial institutions that they would undoubtedly unwind, to the further detriment of the U.S. economy,” reads one of the attachments, obtained by POLITICO. “American corporations with interests abroad may be at risk of retaliation, a possibility recently expressed by GE and Dow.”
One source familiar with Boeing’s effort said the company wrote in the letter that the victims’ families deserve justice but argued that the economic consequences of the bill were important to consider. The letter warned of potential job losses, the source said. Dow Chemical is also lobbying against the bill, people familiar with the campaign said.
This seems to be status quo’s line when it comes to anything related to the Saudis. We can’t stand up to them, or our economy will go down the toilet. If our economy is really that fragile we’re in bigger trouble than I thought.
To prove the point, recall Wolf Blitzer’s despicable remark from last month’s post: The War Economy – CNN’s Wolf Blitzer Warns About Job Loss if the U.S. Stops Arming Saudi Arabia.
Yet, it gets worse. Even if Congress happens to override President Obama’s veto (the first override of his Presidency), these critters are already scheming for an alternative way to water it down.
Indeed, when it comes to putting corporate and foreign interests ahead of the American public, the status quo never gives up.
But even if Obama receives the first veto override of his presidency, the story won’t end there: the Saudis will seek a new bill to scale back the law in the lame-duck session or in the next session, after lawmakers are relieved from the heat of the campaign, people familiar with the plans said.
“It’s Washington at its finest,” one of the people said.
The Saudis are now spending more than $250,000 a month fighting the bill, retaining powerhouses Brownstein Hyatt Farber Schreck, Glover Park Group, Sphere Consulting and Squire Patton Boggs. Besides working with companies invested in Saudi Arabia, the lobbyists are directly contacting lawmakers, placing opinion articles and seeking support from think tank scholars.
GOP Sens. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Bob Corker of Tennessee are trying to hammer out a compromise that would soften the bill, bringing it in line with previously proposed versions rather than keeping the harsher language that just passed.
Importantly, it’s not just corporations and former Congresspeople who are working diligently with the Saudis to prevent 9/11 families from having their day in court.
For example, in April’s piece “Getting Things Done” – The Brother of Hillary Clinton’s Campaign Chair is a Major Lobbyist for Saudi Arabia, we learned that…
Lobbying for U.S. corporations is one thing. Lobbying for a barbaric monarchy with “classified” ties to the 9/11 attacks is quite another. Yet that’s exactly what the Podesta Group does. Once again, the Founder and Chairman of the firm, Tony Podesta, is the brother of Hillary Clinton’s Campaign Chair, John Podesta.
The Podesta Group is billing Saudi Arabia $140,000 a month for its public relations services. During the last few months of 2015, it sent 27 emails, had two phone calls and one meeting with lawmakers and staffers, journalists, and organizations including Human Rights Watch and the Center for American Progress, disclosure forms show.
The mere fact that the Saudis are so connected and can spend so much money to persuade politicians to affect U.S. policy is outrageous and should be illegal.
How can the American public compete with that kind of bribery? Look all around you. We can’t.
For related articles, see:
The 28-Pages Are Way Worse Than I Thought
A Look Inside Saudi Arabia’s Elaborate U.S. Propaganda Machine
Are the Saudis Using U.S. Supplied White Phosphorous in Yemen?
The War Economy – CNN’s Wolf Blitzer Warns About Job Loss if the U.S. Stops Arming Saudi Arabia
U.S. Government Reaffirms Total Support for Saudi War Crimes in Yemen
In Liberty,
Michael Krieger
