President Obama’s ‘Plan’ to Close Guantanamo Bay Is Dangerous
Our nation cannot afford to let Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders take us back to the failed pre-9/11 law enforcement approach to counterterrorism.
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.
In the Senate, I have sponsored and supported legislation to prohibit dangerous detainee transfers, block funds for closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay, and prevent the return of the facility to Cuba. And I have stood with Senators Tim Scott (R-SC), Cory Gardner (R-CO), and Pat Roberts (R-KS) to oppose bringing terrorists to facilities in South Carolina, Colorado, and Kansas, because it is unnecessary, expensive and, most importantly, dangerous.
As President, I will focus America’s detention policy exclusively on protecting our national security, keeping dangerous terrorists off the battlefield, and ensuring our military and intelligence professionals have the authorities and tools they need to extract valuable intelligence from captured terrorists and prevent attacks on our homeland. If we capture terrorists alive, they will get a one-way ticket to Guantanamo Bay, and we will find out everything they know. Enemy combatants suitable for trial will be tried in military tribunals. And no Guantanamo detainees will be brought to the United States for trial in our courts.
