President Obama: Congress made 'mistake' overriding his veto of 9/11 bill

US President Obama said Congress made a "mistake" in overriding his veto of a bill that would allow the families of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia for its alleged role in the terrorist attacks, according to ABC News.

"It was a mistake," the president said during CNN's "Presidential Town Hall" in Fort Lee, Virginia today. "If we eliminate this notion of sovereign immunity, then our men and women in uniform around the world could potentially start seeing ourselves subject to reciprocal laws."

"This is a dangerous precedent and it's an example of why sometimes you have to do what's hard. And, frankly, I wish Congress here had done what's hard," the president said.

He went on to describe why he believes the move was a "political vote."

"If you're perceived as voting against 9/11 families right before an election, not surprisingly, that's a hard vote for people to take," Obama said. "But it would have been the right thing to do."

The Senate today voted 97-1 to override the president's veto, while the House voted to override by a large margin: 348-77 and one present vote. 

The votes cemented the first veto override for Obama of his eight years in office.

Saudi Arabia has strongly denied any involvement in the attacks.

White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest slammed the veto override after the Senate vote, calling it "the single most embarrassing thing the United States Senate has done, possibly since 1983" in an apparent reference to the last time Congress issued a veto override by such a wide margin.

Obama has expressed concerns the bill would possibly damage relations with Saudi Arabia and, also, leave government officials and U.S. citizens vulnerable to lawsuits from other nations.

Source: MENA