On the recordDecember 1, 2011
I hope this statement clarifies in anyone's mind the point that by taking people in custody in the past we have gathered essential intelligence to protect the American people. That is the reason for the detention in the first place--A, to keep the American people safe from further attack by the individual, and, B, to gather this kind of intelligence. Nothing precludes the United States, the executive branch, from thereafter deciding to try the individual as a criminal in the criminal courts with all the attendant rights of a criminal. But until that determination, it cannot be denied that the executive has the authority to hold people as military combatants, gather intelligence necessary, and hold that individual until the cessation of hostilities. The PRESIDING OFFICER. The time of the Senator has expired. The senior Senator from Vermont is recognized.
