White House blasts Senate for override vote

Washington — The White House says the US Senate vote to override President Barack Obama's veto of September 11 legislation is an "embarrassing" shirking of its duties.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest claims members of the Senate Judiciary Committee were unfamiliar with the bill's impact on military personnel and voted to uphold it anyway.

Earnest called the vote the "single most embarrassing thing" the Senate has done in decades and "an abdication" of its responsibility.

The comments reflect White House frustration after failing to persuade Senate Democrats to stand by the president. If the House follows suit, the override will be Obama's first.

The legislation would allow September 11 victims' families to sue the government of Saudi Arabia.

Obama says it would set a dangerous precedent for Americans serving and living abroad.