Cornyn Slams Obama For Closing Gitmo

Calls the move a dangerous step in the wrong direction.

WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 22, 2009 -- U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, made the following statement today after President Obama signed an executive order mandating the closure of the detention camp at Guantanamo Bay:

“Today President Obama, on only his third day as Commander-in-Chief, took a dangerous step in the wrong direction by choosing to close Guantanamo Bay. Now he must answer the important question of what is to be done with these dangerous individuals. Dozens of former Guantanamo detainees who have already been released have returned to the battlefield, continuing to advance their anti-American ideals. If history is any indication of what is to come, our national security is at great risk. Where are our assurances that the remaining detainees will not return to their radical ways and put Americans in harm’s way?

“I am also disappointed President Obama went one step farther today by signing an executive order mandating that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) use the same interrogation procedures as the Army Field Manual, tying the hands of our intelligence professionals. Since September 11, 2001, government and intelligence officials have taken critical and unprecedented steps to protect Americans and improve our national security, and as a result our country has remained safe from terrorist attacks on American soil. President Obama’s actions today send the wrong message of weakness to those who seek to harm Americans, and I believe America will be less safe as a result of this decision.”

Earlier today Sen. Cornyn sent a letter to President Obama urging him to not close Guantanamo Bay without careful consideration of the repercussions and without a safe alternative option for dealing with these dangerous individuals.

See the full text of the letter below.

January 22, 2009

President Barack Obama
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.
Washington, DC 20500

Dear President Obama,

I write to urge you to carefully consider America’s national security before deciding whether to close the Guantanamo Bay terrorist detention facility. While I understand that you have pledged to close the facility, now that the awesome responsibility of protecting this nation from the continued threat of terrorist attacks is yours, I believe that a fresh analysis is warranted. This analysis should properly weigh the intelligence-gathering value of the facility and the dangers of releasing these terrorists or moving them into the American mainland.

Closing the Guantanamo facility would raise the question of what should be done with the two-hundred or so foreign nationals held there. These include some of America’s deadliest enemies: monsters like Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, the 9/11 mastermind, and al-Qa’ida co-conspirator Ramzi bin al-Shibh.

These men are too dangerous to simply be released. The outgoing administration has labored to release as many of the less dangerous detainees as possible, leaving the worst of the worst at Guantanamo. According to the latest numbers from the Department of Defense, at least 61 detainees who have been held and released from Guantanamo Bay are either suspected or confirmed as having returned to the battlefield to take up arms against the U.S. military, and there is every reason to believe that many of the current detainees would do the same. Release is, thus, not a viable alternative.

According to reports, your Administration is considering plans to move these terrorists into the United States for trial. In my judgment, this would be a colossal mistake. Bringing the detainees here would pose intolerable national security risks. For many of these terrorists, infiltrating and destroying the United States is their life’s mission. The United States government should not knowingly bring such men into our country.

The American people agree that moving terrorists into the United States is a risk that we cannot afford. A recent Gallup poll shows that only 35% percent of Americans favor closing Guantanamo. I have little doubt that even fewer want the terrorists imported to our shores. In 2007, ninety-four Senators, including Vice President Biden and Secretary of State Clinton voted to keep terrorist detainees out of the United States. I was one of those ninety-four Senators, and I will continue to do everything in my power to keep these terrorists out of Texas, or anywhere else in the United States.

Please carefully consider anew, in light of your great responsibilities, the costs and benefits of closing the Guantanamo facility. The Guantanamo facility should not be closed until there is a viable alternative for detaining these terrorists. Until you are satisfied that there are alternatives that do not place the nation at greater risk than the status quo, any formal commitment to closing Guantanamo would be premature and irresponsible.

Sincerely,

JOHN CORNYN