Political Quotes

“Very simply put, I have two goals. I think Americans want two things to happen in this case. They want the surviving suspect to be brought to justice. I am glad he survived, as hopefully we may learn some information from him that will make us all safer in the future. I am pleased he survived so we may try him in a court of law, before a Federal court in Massachusetts, to hold him accountable for his crimes. In the trial, he will be given a lawyer. He has the right to remain silent. He will be tried by a jury. He will be given all the rights associated with a Federal court trial. He is an American citizen, and we have never suggested otherwise. As one of the primary authors of the 2009 Military Commissions Act, I expressly exempted American citizens from military commission trials. Why? I wanted to reserve that system for foreign terrorists. It doesn't mean I don't believe there will be domestic terrorism. It doesn't mean I don't envision an American citizen helping the foreign enemy. I do. Every war, unfortunately, we have been in during the history of our country, American citizens have joined forces and sided with the enemy. This is not an unusual event. What would be unusual is to say one could do so and not be treated under the law of war. We would be making history if we adopted that view. Let me begin with a case in World War II. German saboteurs landed in Long Island. They had been planning for years an effort to come to our country.…”