"I believe that this is what the evidence shows," Specter said.
Specter made his remarks after a Senate subcommittee hearing on legislation that would expand the circumstances under which U.S. citizens could sue foreign governments accused of supporting terrorists. Specter is sponsoring the bill along with Sens. Charles Schumer (D., N.Y.) and Lindsey Graham (R., S.C.).
The bill would effectively overturn a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in 2008 that dismissed Saudi Arabia and senior members of the Saudi royal family as defendants in a lawsuit alleging that they had responsibility for the attacks.
That decision was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court last year, which refused to hear the case after U.S. Solicitor General Elena Kagan argued that U.S. law barred such lawsuits and that the litigation held the potential to upset relations with an important ally, Saudi Arabia.
The lawsuit was spearheaded by the Center City law firm of Cozen O'Connor, which is representing dozens of insurance companies seeking to recover damages suffered as result of the 9/11 attacks. Other law firms, including Motley Rice L.L.C., a noted South Carolina-based plaintiffs firm, are representing individual plaintiffs.
Specter faces an uphill battle for his legislation, in part because of concern in the executive branch and on Capitol Hill that expanding the rights of U.S. citizens to sue foreign governments could expose the United States and its allies to similar litigation.
But several legal experts testified at the hearing before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and Drugs that lawsuits could serve as a useful deterrent to foreign governments that aid terrorist groups while also providing victims a measure of justice. They urged the Senate to pass Specter's bill.
