Senator Chuck Grassley, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement after the White House indicated it would resume military commissions, but continued to state its desire to move foreign terrorists housed at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility to the United States for trial in Article III courts.|Senator Chuck Grassley, Ranking Member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, released the following statement after the White House indicated it would resume military commissions, but continued to state its desire to move foreign terrorists housed at the Guantanamo Bay detention facility to the United States for trial in Article III courts.
“Over the last two years, the administration has made a number of questionable decisions when it comes to Guantanamo Bay, but the President’s commitment today to reinstating the military commission trials at Guantanamo Bay is a step in the right direction. Congress set up the military commission process specifically for the purpose of trying enemy combatants, and subsequent amendments ensure that the trials provide due process for those charged. Our nation has a history of utilizing military commissions and it is logical they be utilized to try suspected terrorists.
“That said, I’m extremely disappointed that the administration still doesn’t get it and continues to ignore the will of Congress and the American people by insisting on giving these foreign terrorists a venue in our federal courts. Holding trials at courthouses in American communities, instead of at Guantanamo Bay, would introduce needless risks and burdens. And, it’s unconscionable that people whose goal is to inflict harm on and kill American citizens would be given a megaphone to spew their hatred in our courtrooms. It’s time to end this unwise policy and keep enemy combatants off U.S. soil once and for all.”
