Jackie Walorski: “My amendment is very common sense. It is as simple in its concept as it is in requirements. My amendment simply…”

“My amendment is very common sense. It is as simple in its concept as it is in requirements. My amendment simply increases the transparency and accountability surrounding transfers from Guantanamo Bay by requiring the U.S. and the foreign government receiving the detainee to sign a written memo of understanding outlining the terms of the transfer and to provide copies of that memo to Congress. These transfers are too significant and the stakes are too high for a simple handshake or verbal agreement. As Paul Lewis, the President's own Special Envoy for Guantanamo Detention Closure, recently confirmed, detainees that were released have returned to the battlefield and killed Americans. The administration, itself, estimates the recidivism rate of detainees at nearly one out of three. In my 4 years on the Armed Services Committee, I have consistently been disappointed by the lack of transparency surrounding these transfers. In its plan for closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention facility that was released in February, the administration insisted it received security assurances and humane treatment assurances from countries receiving detainees. This includes travel restrictions, monitoring, and information sharing. However, in December last year, reports began surfacing that a detainee who was released to Sudan in July 2012 was now in Yemen operating as a senior leader of al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, AQAP.…”