On the recordJune 13, 2013
Since 9/11, 494 terrorists have been convicted in our civilian court system. In stark contrast, there have been only seven terrorists convicted by the military commissions in Guantanamo. Five of these, by the way, were pleas. To quote General Colin Powell from 2010: We have 300 terrorists--it's now less--who have been put in jail not by a military commission but by a regular court system . . . We ought to remove this incentive that exists in the presence of Guantanamo to encourage people and give radicals an opportunity to say, ``You see? This is what America is all about.'' That's Colin Powell. We should be proud of our Nation's long history of bringing to justice those who commit crimes that threaten the peace and freedom of innocent people around the world. Guantanamo is a stain on that record. It should be closed. I urge my colleagues to support this amendment. The SPEAKER pro tempore. The time of the gentleman has again expired. Mr. McGOVERN. I yield the gentleman 30 additional seconds.
