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Obama slams opposition to civilian trials for terrorism suspects By Jeremy Pelofsky (Front Row Washington)
YouTube. “It’s been one of those things that’s been subject to a lot of, in Submitted at 2/1/2010 3:08:29 PM some cases, pretty rank politics,” President Barack Obama didn’t he said, referring to Republican mince words when he criticized opposition to the criminal trials. R e p u b l i c a n o p p o s i t i o n t o While much of the opposition prosecuting foreign terrorism has been by Republicans, a few suspects in U.S. criminal courts Democrats have joined in the rather than in military tribunals, disapproval. calling it “rank politics.” A group of senators, including His administration was caught Democratic Senator Blanche o f f g u a r d l a s t w e e k w h e n Lincoln, plan to offer legislation opposition mounted to trying the on Tuesday that would prevent accused plotters of the Sept. 11 any funding of the criminal attacks in a lower Manhattan t r i a l s , t h o u g h i t w a s n o t courthouse amid concerns about immediately clear whether there security and costs as well as was sufficient support or how potentially affording the suspects they would seek to pass the certain legal rights. measure. “One of the things that we’ve Obama’s budget for fiscal 2011, had to try to communicate to the which starts Oct. 1, includes $73 c o u n t r y a t l a r g e i s t h a t , million to transfer, incarcerate historically, we’ve tried a lot of and prosecute the Sept. 11 terrorists in our courts; we have suspects, including the selfthem in our federal prisons; professed mastermind Khalid they’ve never escaped,” Obama S h e i k h M o h a m m e d . T h e s a i d i n a n i n t e r v i e w w i t h proposed budget also included
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$237 million to buy, fortify and upgrade a state prison in Thomson, Illinois, to house foreign terrorism suspects now at the military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Many Republicans have also opposed closing that facility, arguing it is the safest place to keep terrorism suspects. “Gitmo is a bought and paid for
facility that can be run at a low cost and with guaranteed security for the American people. It also ensures that terrorists will not be brought to the U.S. where they will be able to use the rights afforded to criminal defendants to obtain lighter sentences and broadcast their terrorist agenda from center stage.,” said Representative Lamar Smith, the
senior Republican on the House Judiciary Committee. Obama refused to back down on closing the Guantanamo prison, but he did acknowledge that Congress can withhold the money to do so. He has argued that anti-American militants have used the prison as a recruiting tool. “This is something that we’ve got to work through both in Congress but also with public opinion so that people understand that ultimately this is the right thing to do,” Obama said. “By closing Guantanamo, we can regain the moral high ground in the battle against these terrorist organizations.” For more Reuters political news, click here. - Photo credit: Reuters/Chip East (the Metropolitan Correctional Center next to the federal courthouse in lower Manhattan)