Blunt Statement on Obama Administration Decision to Try 9-11 Mastermind in US Courts
Congressional Desk
November 14, 2009
WASHINGTON, DC – Missouri Congressman Roy Blunt issued the following statement regarding the Obama Administration´s decision to try the mastermind of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the American court system:
"The Obama Administration´s decision to try 9-11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in New York City, a short distance from Ground Zero, is short-sighted. The attack he orchestrated was an act of war that resulted in the deadliest attack on American soil in history.
"Terrorists cannot be treated as common criminals, and Americans should not be endangered by the presence of these terrorists in New York City. These dangerous criminals certainly don´t deserve the protection of the American court system.
"I worked hard to help set up the military tribunal process in 2006 in order to bring accused terrorists to justice. As I´ve said all year, the president´s failed plan to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay must be re-evaluated quickly, as should his administration´s handling of the trial of a man who orchestrated the deaths of nearly 3,000 people."
Blunt is a co-sponsor of H.R. 2294, the Keep Terrorists Out of America Act, which would stop the transfer or release of terrorists held at the Guantanamo Bay prison into the United States. The legislation opposes releasing terrorists from the Guantanamo Bay facility and transferring them to the United States, makes clear that governors and state legislatures must pre-approve the transfer or release of any terrorist detainee into their respective states, and requires the Administration to meet strict criteria and certification standards before terrorists housed at the Guantanamo prison could be brought to the United States.
"The Obama Administration´s decision to try 9-11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in New York City, a short distance from Ground Zero, is short-sighted. The attack he orchestrated was an act of war that resulted in the deadliest attack on American soil in history.
"Terrorists cannot be treated as common criminals, and Americans should not be endangered by the presence of these terrorists in New York City. These dangerous criminals certainly don´t deserve the protection of the American court system.
"I worked hard to help set up the military tribunal process in 2006 in order to bring accused terrorists to justice. As I´ve said all year, the president´s failed plan to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay must be re-evaluated quickly, as should his administration´s handling of the trial of a man who orchestrated the deaths of nearly 3,000 people."
Blunt is a co-sponsor of H.R. 2294, the Keep Terrorists Out of America Act, which would stop the transfer or release of terrorists held at the Guantanamo Bay prison into the United States. The legislation opposes releasing terrorists from the Guantanamo Bay facility and transferring them to the United States, makes clear that governors and state legislatures must pre-approve the transfer or release of any terrorist detainee into their respective states, and requires the Administration to meet strict criteria and certification standards before terrorists housed at the Guantanamo prison could be brought to the United States.
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