Meltdown: White House Calls Senate's 9/11 Veto Override The Most 'Embarrassing Thing' In Years

Matt Vespa | September 28, 2016 2:50 PM

UPDATE: The House has more than enough votes to override President Obama's veto. It will now become law.

JUST IN: House votes 348-77 to override Pres. Obama's veto of 9/11 bill, the first veto override of his presidency https://t.co/TcD5cQDbeC
— ABC News Politics (@ABCPolitics) September 28, 2016

By vote of 348-77, House joins Senate in overriding Pres Obama's veto of 9/11 lawsuit bill. It's the first veto override of his presidency.
— Mark Knoller (@markknoller) September 28, 2016

***Original Post***

As Cortney wrote earlier today, virtually every member of the United States Senate voted to override President Obama’s veto on a bill that would allow victims of the 9/11 attacks to sue Saudi Arabia. Pretty much everyone voted for it, with both the House and Senate passing it by voice votes. The only senator to vote against the override today was old, crusty crab Harry Reid.

Now, the Obama White House is going through something of a meltdown, calling the vote an embarrassment. It also offers insight into the president’s sway over Capitol Hill, which seems to be virtually non-existent at this point. The House is expected to hold their override vote later today—and it’s expected to pass the two-thirds threshold as well. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) is expected to vote in favor of the override (via The Hill):

The White House lashed out at the Senate Wednesday for overriding President Obama’s veto of legislation that would allow U.S. citizens to sue Saudi Arabia over the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

“I would venture to say that this is the single most embarrassing thing that the United States Senate has done, possibly, since 1983,” Obama spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters aboard Air Force One.

[…]

The veto override was a major blow to Obama, prompting questions about his diminishing sway over Capitol Hill and foreign policy months before he leaves office.

Earnest’s unusually harsh words are an effort to shame lawmakers for their support for the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA).

For weeks, White House officials have accused members of Congress of failing to publicly express the reservations about the measure that they have spoken about privately.