King Bill Will Stop NYC Trial for Khalid Sheik Mohammed
and Other 9/11 Terrorists
January 28, 2010
Washington, D.C. (Thursday, January 28, 2010) -- U.S. Rep. Peter T. King (R-NY), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, Wednesday evening introduced legislation that will prevent the Obama Administration from implementing is dangerous plan to put admitted 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed and other terrorists on trial in federal civilian court in New York City or other American communities. The “Stopping Criminal Trials for Guantanamo Terrorists Act,” H.R. 4542, prohibits the use of Department of Justice funds to try Guantanamo detainees in federal civilian court.
King said: “President Obama’s decision to transfer Khalid Sheik Mohammed, the admitted mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks, and four of his fellow conspirators from Guantanamo to New York City for trial in civilian federal court is one of the worst decisions ever made by any president. Guantanamo terrorists like KSM don’t belong in any federal civilian courts; they belong in military commissions, which Congress established for the express purpose of bringing them to trial while safeguarding classified intelligence. And these terrorists certainly don’t belong in American communities such as lower Manhattan, mere blocks from Ground Zero, City Hall, NYPD headquarters and the Brooklyn Bridge. Obama’s November decision to transfer them to New York City for trial in the Southern District of New York creates an enormous, unnecessary terror risk to the people who already live and work downtown. I fully support Mayor Bloomberg’s decision, which he announced yesterday, to oppose the President’s plan. Furthermore, the director of the Federal Protective Service – charged with protecting the courthouse – recently told the Committee on Homeland Security that he does not even have the resources to properly secure the facility during trials while performing its normal duties. Most disgraceful and inexcusable of all was the Attorney General’s failure to consult with NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly or any other law enforcement official in New York State prior to making the decision to hold the 9/11 trials in lower Manhattan.
“The bottom line is we should all be working together to keep terrorists out of New York City, not moving them into New York City.”
To view the bill click here.
King in the News
King on the Issues
Chairman King Outlines Key Priorities for 2012 - Will continue Radicalization Hearings & Examining potential leaks of classified information - 2/9/2012 - See More.
Chairman King Statement on Former CIA Officer Charged with Leaking Classified Information - Calls for DOJ to Name Journalists and Lawyers Involved in Dangerous Leaks of Undercover CIA Identities - 1/23/2012 - See More.
Chairman King Statement on Recent Terror Arrests in Maryland and Florida - Arrests Involving U.S. Military and al-Shabaab Underscore Importance of Radicalization Hearings - 1/12/2012 - See More.
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