The team inspected Fort Leavenworth in Kansas on Friday and is planning to tour the naval brig in Charleston, South Carolina, next week, said Pentagon spokesperson Cmdr. “That is my pledge as attorney general”.
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“There is no plan or study that shows transferring prisoners from Guantanamo Bay to South Carolina or any other domestic location will make America safer”, Republican Sen.
After news that the Obama administration again wants to transfer detainees from the Guantanamo Bay detention camp to Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, U.S. Sen. Some senior congressional leaders have advised Obama to develop a complete plan for closing Guantanamo, including dealing with the prisoners, and submit it to Congress as a way to break the stalemate and move toward a resolution. Interestingly, both facilities are medium security prisons.
“Individuals from across the political spectrum have recognized that this facility should be closed, and we look forward to working with the House and the Senate to move toward closure”, Commander Gary Ross, a Pentagon spokesman, said on Monday.
Obama first tried to close Guantanamo in 2009, but Congress has repeatedly thwarted his efforts ever since by withholding money for transfers or releases.
The Republican governor said moving the detainees to any state would violate federal law.
Officials don’t know exactly how many prisoners would need to be brought here, but this “irreducible minimum”, as the White House calls the number, is believed to be in the dozens. Justice Department officials said they were surprised to learn that Thomson was being considered.
One team will visit the U.S. Naval Consolidated Brig in Hanahan, S.C., next week to see whether it is a viable option to hold some of the 116 suspects still at Guantanamo, and to stage military tribunals. At the same time, the administration has struggled to clear a backlog of 52 detainees waiting to be transferred home or to third countries.
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The Defense Department is trying to create a plan that could win support in the Senate, where John McCain (R-Ariz.), chairman of the Armed Services Committee, has indicated tentative support for closing Guantanamo if he is convinced the administration can ensure security.
