Keep Terrorists Out of the U.S.
The U.S. spent more than $200 million on detention facilities at Guantanamo to safely house terrorist suspects outside our borders. Now the Obama Administration wants to close that facility and move them to the U.S. The Administration has announced plans to try Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, accused of orchestrating the 9/11 attacks, along with some of his co-conspirators in a civilian court in New York. This creates the potential for “show” trials in which their American lawyers stall the prosecution while terrorists use the publicity to criticize the United States and potentially reveal sensitive intelligence information in open court.
Oppose this action by the Obama Administration by signing my petition today. Let’s keep terrorists off U.S. soil and prosecute them using military commissions.
Read the latest news on this topic:
“Suspect Is Key To Pace In 9/11 Case,”
The Wall Street Journal, 11/16/09
Criminal Defense Attorneys Say That Khalid Sheik Mohammed Will Have Many Legal Tools To Stall His Case.
“Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has said he was ready to confess to orchestrating the Sept. 11 attacks, a move that would make his case relatively easy for prosecutors. But if Mr. Mohammed decides to work with his American lawyers to stall the case, he has plenty of tools at his disposal, criminal lawyers say.”
“Mr. Kelley, Who Was A Leader Of The Justice Department's 9/11 Investigation And Now Is A Partner With Cahill Gordon & Reindel LLP, Said "First And Foremost" Among The Issues Mr. Mohammed Could Raise Is The Conduct Of The Government.”
“Defense Lawyers Could Seek To Have The Case Dismissed Because Of The Harsh Treatment. Mr. Kelley said it was hard to conceive of a federal judge dismissing the charges, but the judge might take more seriously defense challenges claiming that detainee statements were coerced.”
On military commissions: “ … Congressional action, court decisions and executive orders have added safeguards. Statements taken through torture are now inadmissible before military commissions, and defendants can appeal convictions to federal courts including, potentially, the Supreme Court. Moreover, in the handful of proceedings that have taken place at Guatanamo, military judges and juries have demonstrated independence from the government, returning acquittals on some charges and imposing at least one sentence far below the lengthy term sought by military prosecutors.”
“Illinois Site May Be Path To Closing Guantánamo,”
The New York Times, 11/16/09
“Top Illinois Democrats On Sunday Wholeheartedly Embraced The Idea Of Sending Terrorism Suspects From Guantánamo Bay To A Maximum-Security Prison About 150 Miles West Of Chicago, raising the possibility of a major breakthrough in the Obama administration’s efforts to close the military detention facility in Cuba.”
“But While Gov. Patrick J. Quinn And Senator Richard J. Durbin Endorsed Housing The Detainees At The Thomson Correctional Facility, A Maximum-Security Prison In A Rural Area, Other Local Leaders Were Drumming Up Opposition To The Idea, which could still face considerable opposition in Congress.”
Leading Republicans In The State Signed A Letter Opposing The Move. “But leading Republicans in the state — including Representatives Donald Manzullo, whose district includes Thomson, and Mark Steven Kirk, who is running for the United States Senate seat once held by Mr. Obama — signed a letter to the president on Sunday strongly opposing any such move. “As home to America’s tallest building, we should not invite Al Qaeda to make Illinois its No. 1 target,” the letter said, referring to the Willis Tower in Chicago, formerly the Sears Tower. “The United States spent more than $200 million to build the Guantánamo Bay detention facility to keep terrorists away from U.S. soil. Al Qaeda terrorists should stay where they cannot endanger American citizens.””
Sen. John Cornyn: 9/11 Trials Will Be 'Show Trials'
Talking Points Memo
Darius Tahir
November 16, 2009, 3:35PM
http://tpmlivewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/2009/11/sen-john-cornyn-911-trials-will-be-show-trials.php
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) said on MSNBC today that, like other Republicans and conservatives, he thinks the decision to hold civilian trials for suspected 9/11 conspirators in New York City is a poor one.
Cornyn told David Shuster that the trial of self-proclaimed 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammad would be a "show trial" that would "attract the attention of like-minded individuals" once Mohammad was given a "platform to spew his hate-filled ideology."
Furthermore, Cornyn said, the trials carry the risk of increasing America's exposure to terrorism, and might very well burn intelligence sources.
Cornyn claimed that the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui trial was an "embarassment" that had exposed critical intelligence sources. When pressed on the matter by Shuster, Cornyn claimed he couldn't give "chapter and verse" on the exact burned sources and intelligence methods, but did claim that the trial of the "blind sheik", Omar Abdel-Rahman, who was convicted of trying to destroy the World Trade Center in 1993, had caused the names of "nearly 200 unindicted co-conspirators" to "show up in Osama bin Laden's hands."
Cornyn's proposed alternative? Military commissions and Guantanamo Bay, which he claimed could "protect[] the rights of terrorists."
Sen. Jim Demint: Obama's reckless GITMO decision
Sen. Jim DeMint (R-SC) made the following statement Friday after learning of President Obama's plan to bring GITMO terrorists to the U.S.
"This senseless decision puts more Americans at risk for future terrorist attacks and is completely unnecessary. Americans have already invested hundreds of millions of dollars in Guantanamo Bay where these violent radicals can be detained and safely tried by military commissions away from our communities.
"Why would our President send terrorist masterminds away from an island fortress off our shores to trials in American courtrooms that will now become targets for enemy combatants?... The President's decision is naïve and reckless."
DeMint has proposed legislation to extend the ban on moving terrorists from Guantanamo Bay to U.S. soil, but Senate Democrats have blocked it from receiving debate and a vote.
Senator Mitch McConnell on Fox News Sunday:
CHRIS WALLACE: joining us now from louisville, kentucky, is senate republican leader mitch mcconnell. senator, welcome back to "fox news sunday."
SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL: good morning, chris.
WALLACE: i want to ask you one question to button up the conversation we had in the first segment. you have long opposed sending gaun uantanamo prisoners to this country. is there anything you can and will do in the senate to try and block the president and the attorney general's decision to put these five alleged conspirators on trial in a civilian court in new york?
SEN. MCCONNELL: unfortunately, we had that very vote on the lieberman, lindsey graham amendment just a week ago and 54 democrats voted opposed, frankly, having thehe trials down in guantanamo, so it looks to me like the administration is going to do this. they seem to be sort of hellbent to do it. i agree with the family of daniel pearl. ksm murdered their son. they said why in the world would we want to give him the show trial that he desires.
WALLACE: on a related subject, there's also a report today that the obama administration is considering it may buy a near empty prison in rural illinois to house perhaps dozens of guantanamo detainees. is there anything you can do, is there anything you will do to try to stop that?
SEN. MCCONNELL: well, the senate went on record on that issue a couple years ago 94-3 against bringing these people to the united states. i can't imagine the people of illinois would like to have these prisoners incarcerated in their state. there may be some local officials who are going to support it, but i expect it will be a huge issue up in illinois, probably in the u.s. senate race up there next year.
WALLACE: and is there anything you can do in terms of blocking funding for it?
SEN. MCCONNELL: we'll be looking for ways to do it, and hopefully the senate and house will speak on this issue.
