ICYMI – Obama still working to close GITMO on his way out the door
President Obama is not giving up on the dreams of his administration and House Democrats, telling reporters in Laos that he still hopes to close GITMO and transfer the remaining terrorists held there to facilities on U.S. soil. Obama’s announcement confirms Vice President Biden’s statement in Europe last month that the administration expects to close GITMO by January.
In advance of a full closure, the Obama administration has been increasing the scale of prisoner transfers out of GITMO, despite reports that at least a dozen terrorists released from GITMO were subsequently implicated in attacks on Americans. The prisoners remaining at GITMO include some of the world’s most dangerous terrorists, including 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, al-Qaeda bomb makers, and Osama bin Laden’s personal bodyguard.
House Democrats have remained strong allies of President Obama’s plan to close GITMO, pushing legislation to allow the transfer of detainees to U.S. facilities and repeatedly voting against efforts to block the administration from closing the facility, despite polling that shows voters are strongly opposed to doing so.
NRCC Comment: “House Democrats and President Obama have spent the past eight years trying to make their dream of closing GITMO a reality, so it should come as no surprise that Obama plans to ignore common sense and public opinion and do so on his way out the door. House Democrats’ support for Obama’s plan to close GITMO and bring the terrorists detained there to the U.S. makes our country, and the world, less safe.” – NRCC Spokesman Bob Salera
Obama Remains Hopeful of Closing Guantanamo Bay Before Term Ends
Bloomberg
Justin Sink
September 8, 2016
http://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-09-08/obama-remains-hopeful-of-closing-guantanamo-bay-before-term-ends
U.S. President Barack Obama said he remained hopeful of being able to close the military detention center at Guantanamo Bay before he leaves office in January.
“I am not ready to concede that it may still remain open because we’re still working diligently to continue to shrink the population,” Obama said Thursday at a briefing following a summit with Southeast Asian leaders in Vientiane, Laos. “It’s not necessary and it’s hugely expensive for taxpayers.”
While the president vowed before he took office to close the prison he’s been stymied by members of Congress who have placed restrictions in defense spending bills on the government’s ability to close the facility.
Obama acknowledged there was “absolutely” strong opposition from Congress. Still, he added “I expect to work really hard over the next four months — five months — four and a half months.”
The prison currently holds 61 terrorism suspects after the Pentagon announced last month it was transferring 15 detainees to the United Arab Emirates. The U.S. is seeking partners to accept 20 more detainees who have already been approved for transfer.
The draw down at the prison has spiked the cost per inmate, which an analysis of Pentagon documents now pegs at more than $6 million per year. The administration has repeatedly pointed to the cost to argue it should be allowed to transfer the detainees to maximum security prisons in the U.S.
The president has also warned the facility is used as a propaganda tool by terrorist organizations and enemy states.
“It clouds and sours some of the counter-terrorism operations we need to engage in,” he said.
Late last month, Vice President Joe Biden said it was his “hope and expectation” that Obama would be able to close the prison before departing the White House.