Saudi Arabia Threatens to Sell $750 Billion of U.S. Assets

The New York Times reported that Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir told President Barack Obama personally when he traveled to Washington, D.C., last month that the kingdom will “sell up to $750 billion in treasury securities and other assets in the United States before they could be in danger of being frozen by American courts.”

 

The Obama administration asked Congress not to pass the bill “that would allow the Saudi government to be held responsible in American courts for any role in the Sept. 11, 2011, attacks.”

 

Economists do not believe the Saudis will sell the assets, but it is a sign that the relationship between the countries remains troubled.

 

Obama’s administration also believes the bill will “put americans at legal risk overseas.” However, that action has led to backlash from survivors and families of 9/11 victims.

 

“It’s stunning to think that our government would back the Saudis over its own citizens,” exclaimed Mindy Kleinberg, who lost her husband on that day.

 

President Obama will decide in a few days whether to unseal 28 pages connected to 9/11. Some believe the documents prove a Saudi link to the terrorist attack that killed more than 3,000 people.

 

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