President Obama is once again thumbing his nose at Republicans with the announcement of his plan to close down the prison on the military base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
Ofcourse this is purely political, everything Obama does is a calculated political move.The Obama administration’s explanation for closing the prison is nothing less than laughable, as it claims that the closing is a national security issue detrimental to the security of the United States of America.
Here is the letter the Obama administration penned about the closing of GITMO:
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Completing this poll grants you access to Shark Tank updates free of charge. You may opt out at anytime. You also agree to this site's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.As the President has made clear, closing the Guantanamo Bay detention facility is a national security imperative. Its continued operation weakens our national security by furthering the recruiting propaganda of violent extremists, hindering relations with key allies and partners, and draining Department of Defense resources.
Of the nearly 800 detainees at one time held at Guantanamo Bay, more than 85 percent have been transferred, including more than 500 detainees transferred by the prior Administration and 147 detainees transferred by this Administration. As of February 23, 2016, 91 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay.
To close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, the U.S. Government is pursuing three lines of effort simultaneously: (1) identifying transfer opportunities for detainees designated for transfer; (2) continuing to review the threat posed by those detainees who are not currently eligible for transfer and who are not currently facing military commission charges; and (3) continuing with ongoing military commissions prosecutions and, for those detainees who remain designated for continued law of war detention, identifying individualized dispositions where available, including military commission prosecution, transfer to third countries, foreign prosecutions or, should Congress lift the ban on transfers to the United States, transfer to the United States for prosecution in Article III courts and to serve sentences.Notwithstanding these efforts, the Administration expects there to remain a limited number of detainees who will not be designated for transfer, subject to ongoing military commission prosecutions, serving any adjudged sentences, or candidates for prosecution in Article III courts, and who cannot safely be transferred to third countries in the near term. For these detainees, the Administration intends to work with the Congress to relocate them from the Guantanamo Bay detention facility to an appropriate site in the continental United States while continuing to identify other appropriate and lawful dispositions.
Of all the GITMO detainees Obama that have bee released, how many have returned to the fight?
Just this past week, Morroccan and Spanish intelligence agencies nabbed four suspected terrorists, including one former GITMO detainee. Let’s not forget that Obama swapped 5 hardened Taliban terrorists for former Army Sgt. and traitor Bowe Bergdahl.
These 5 Islamists have already folded back into the fight.
As expected, Republican lawmakers are furious over Obama’s hard-press to close down the prison. Even Senator John McCain, who has supported closing the base in the past, is opposing Obama’s unilateral plan close down GITMO.Here are what some of Florida’s federally elected officials are saying about Obama’s plan to close GITMO.
“Congress made its position on the closing of Guantanamo Bay clear when we passed – and the president signed – the Defense Authorization and Appropriations bills for 2016, which explicitly prohibit the president from closing the facility or transferring any detainee to the United States. I will work with my fellow colleagues on the House Appropriations Committee and Members of the Armed Services Committee to ensure these restrictions stand well beyond this president’s final day in office…Moving Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and 55 other dangerous terrorists to U.S. soil to fulfil personal, political goals is not only irresponsible, but I fundamentally cannot comprehend how these actions are in the imminent national security interests of our country. What’s more, availing these prisoners to our judicial process it is not only unfair to Americans but potentially dangerous in its outcome.”- Rep. Tom Rooney (R)
The closing of Gitmo would only embolden the enemies of freedom who wish to do us harm,” said Congressman Jolly. “At a time when terrorism continues to spread throughout the world, we must remain resolved to defeat it.”-Rep. David Jolly (R)
“Bringing hardened terrorists to the U.S. homeland harms our national security. The obsession of President Obama with closing the terror detention facility in Guantanamo Bay is based on his left-wing ideology, not on a clear-eyed assessment of America’s national security interests. Congress should remain steadfast in blocking the President from bringing terrorists to our shores.”-Rep. Ron DeSantis (R)
President Obama’s dangerous and disastrous national security policy continues with the release of his so-called “plan” to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. After seven years, President Obama has still not explained to the American people in sufficient detail where, under what authorities, and at what cost he will detain some of the world’s most dangerous terrorists.His latest effort is a continuation of prioritizing his own legacy over the safety of the American people.-Sen. Marco Rubio (R)
“The detention facility at the U.S. Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba is a critical military asset in fighting the war on terror. It houses some of the world’s most dangerous terrorists who are responsible for the deadliest attacks against civilians in our country’s history. Americans have legitimate concerns and serious objections regarding the transfer of these vile terrorists to the United States. The President’s announcement is deplorable and raises suspicions given his upcoming visit to Cuba, an island ruled by an anti-American military dictatorship. Is the President’s ultimate goal to hand over this strategic and historic Naval base to Cuba’s dictators? The American people and its representatives in Congress have expressed unequivocal opposition to the transfer of terrorists to our country. It’s a bad idea, and it’s against the law.” –Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R)
“President Obama’s plan to close the Guantanamo Bay detention camp will shortchange our security and is in contravention of U.S. law. According to the NDAA bill signed into law last November, there is a prohibition to use any funds to transfer or release individuals from Guantanamo to the United States and a prohibition on closing Guantanamo or relinquishing control of the base to the Castro regime.
President Obama’s plan to continue relocating some detainees to third-party countries with reduced security and surveillance capacity will only accelerate those detainees’ ability to re-join known terrorist groups such as ISIS. The Obama Administration should take its last year in office to finally start focusing on developing a comprehensive strategy to defeat global terrorism and stop worrying about legacy shopping. ”-Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R)
