Lummis: Terrorists Should Not Be Moved To NYC

Press Release

U.S. Representative Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo., issued the following statement regarding U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder's decision that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) and four conspirators will face trial in federal court in New York City for masterminding the 9/11 terrorist attacks:

"The decision by the Obama Administration to allow the murderers of more than 3,000 Americans access to the federal court system will have serious negative implications for national security and the justice system. The terrorist attack orchestrated by KSM and his gang of brutal killers was an act of war against the United States and should be prosecuted by a military commission, not a common criminal court.

"It is unconscionable to think that these terrorists will enjoy the same legal rights and benefits guaranteed to U.S. citizens under the Constitution. That is why I joined Rep. Louie Gohmert in introducing legislation to amend the Military Commissions Act of 2009 to make it mandatory to try terrorists, like KSM, through military commissions."

Background

Congress approved procedures for military commissions in 2006 and 2009, and the Supreme Court has upheld their use. Military commissions held at Guantanamo Bay would produce a fair trial while guarding sensitive national security information from exposure. Appropriately, the Administration announced just last week that it would use commissions to try five Guantanamo Bay detainees involved with the 2000 attack on the USS Cole in Yemen.

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