Washington (AP) - Families of victims of the September 11th attacks say they're ``greatly distressed'' that the White House is opposing legislation that would let them sue the government of Saudi Arabia.

The administration is trying to derail the measure, which would allow the Saudi government to be sued for any role that elements of the Saudi government may have played in the attack.

In a letter to President Barack Obama, more than a dozen relatives wrote that he should not keep the courts from being used as ``a venue in which the truth can be found.'' They also called on Obama to allow the declassification and release of U.S. intelligence about possible Saudi involvement in the attacks.

House Speaker Paul Ryan isn't yet siding with the families. He told reporters today that lawmakers need to make sure that ``we're not making mistakes with our allies.''

The White House said it is opposed to the bill because it could expose Americans overseas to legal risk and could damage the U.S. relationship with the Saudi government.

Obama -- who is traveling to Saudi Arabia tomorrow -- told CBS News that if Americans can ``start routinely suing other governments,'' than the United States could also be ``continually sued by individuals in other countries.''

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