"Rapid onset buyer's remorse" at US Congress after passing JASTA

WASHINGTON, Sept 29 (KUNA) -- A classic case of "rapid onset buyer's remorse" took place in the US Congress two days after it overrode President Barack Obama's veto of the Justice for State Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA), White House press secretary Josh Earnest said on Thursday. "Within minutes of casting their vote (on Wednesday) to put that bill into the law, you had members of the United States Senate -- some 28 of them -- write a letter expressing deep concern about the potential impact of the bill they just passed," Earnest noted during a briefing.
Some senators suggested that they didn't know what they were voting for or didn't understand the negative consequences of the bill, he said "That is a hard suggestion to take seriously when you have letters from former President George W. Bush's attorney general and national security adviser warning about the consequences of the bill," Earnest said. "You had attorneys from our closest allies in Europe expressing their concerns about the impact of the bill." A letter from some of America's business leaders, including Chief Executive at General Electric Jeffrey Immelt, warned about the potential economic consequences of the bill, and letters from the director of the CIA, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the secretary of Defense and President Barack Obama all warned about the potential impact of the bill, Earnest said.
"Ignorance is not an excuse, particularly when it comes to our national security and the safety and security of our diplomats and our service members," he added.
The veto override "is an abject embarrassment," Earnest said.
The legislation would for the first time allow lawsuits in American courts against state sponsors of terrorist attacks inside the US.
JASTA is "exhibit A in the kind of dysfunction that very poorly serves the country and leaves people very dissatisfied with the United States Congress. "It is not a coincidence that the standing of the United States Congress among members of the voting public are at or near historic lows. And an episode like this is not going to improve it," Earnest added. (end) rm.gb