Garden State Patriot

Today marks perhaps the most disgraceful and wrong-headed decision made by this administration to date. The Justice Department, led by Attorney General Eric Holder, has decided to try 4 Gitmo terrorists – including the evil thug shown above, 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammad – in civilian court! Thanks to the Obama Administration, illegal enemy combatants now have access to lawyers and the same legal rights as American citizens. And to add insult to injury, the trial will take place right in the shadow of the World trade Center attacks in downtown Manhattan.

WASHINGTON — Self-proclaimed Sept. 11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other Guantanamo Bay detainees will be sent to New York to face trial in a civilian federal court, an Obama administration official said Friday.

The official said Attorney General Eric Holder plans to announce the decision later in the morning.

The official is not authorized to discuss the decision before the announcement, so spoke on condition of anonymity.

Bringing such notorious suspects to U.S. soil to face trial is a key step in President Barack Obama’s plan to close the terror suspect detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. Obama initially planned to close the detention center by Jan. 22, but the administration is no longer expected to meet that deadline.

The New York case may also force the court system to confront a host of difficult legal issues surrounding counter-terrorism programs begun after the 2001 attacks, including the harsh interrogation techniques once used on some of the suspects while in CIA custody. The most severe method — waterboarding, or simulated drowning — was used on Mohammed 183 times in 2003, before the practice was banned.

In an op-ed that ran in the Wall Street Journal (which I highly recommend reading), former AG Michael Mukasey explains the problems and dangers of trying terrorists in our civilian courts.  

It makes the location of the trial a target. The defendants might not be charged with the death penalty. Soldiers might be forced to leave the battlefield and come to court to testify. Sensitive information used by intelligence agencies will be disclosed – including names of suspected terrorists as well as our methods of acquiring intelligence – compromising our ability to prevent terrorist acts in the future.

The bottom line is this administration is putting ideology ahead of common sense and the security of the American people. It is an absolute outrage.

By the way, 54 Democrats in the Senate also condoned this. You can see their votes on the relevant amendment here.

And here’s what Obama himself said back in March.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: “Now, Do These Folks Deserve Miranda Rights? Do They Deserve To Be Treated Like A Shoplifter Down The Block? Of Course Not.” (CBS’ “60 Minutes,” 3/22/09)

[UPDATE] You can also find a petition to the President here. You will also see a letter to the President from the 9/11 Families for America. (h/t Michelle Malkin)

Cross-posted at Conservatives with Attitude!