Political Quotes

“Thank you, Chairman. I oppose this amendment for a very simple but serious reason. This amendment seeks to loosen the prohibition on detainee transfers from Guantanamo into the United States. I must strongly oppose it. The amendment would permit the President to commence detainee transfers merely by producing a plan and receiving certification from the Attorney General. It gives Congress no authority to alter or disapprove such a plan once submitted. This is fundamentally no different from the state of affairs that existed in 2009 when President Obama and Attorney General Holder created a fiasco by trying to bring Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to New York for trial. By seeking to strike section 1037, this amendment would also pave the way for transfer of detainees to military bases inside of the United States prior to prosecution or civilian facilities like Thompson prison, which is in my home State of Illinois. There is no reason to bring detainees to the United States of America. I have been to Guantanamo, and the detention facilities there are state-of-the-art facilities. They are safe and humane. I want to thank our soldiers who stand guard day and night with the worst of the worst.”