HOUSE Republican Leader John Boehner

Washington, Jan 22 - House Republican Leader John Boehner (R-OH) issued the following statement after President Obama signed an executive order calling for the closure of the terrorist detainee facility at Guantanamo Bay:

“The Guantanamo Bay prison is filled with the worst of the worst – terrorists and killers bent on murdering Americans and other friends of freedom around the world.  If it is closed, where will they go, will they be brought to the United States, and how will they be secured?  Will they be released by the courts, despite reports that more than 60 former terrorist detainees have already returned to battlefields to fight us again? Unfortunately, in briefings yesterday the new Administration did not have any real answers to these concerns.

“Just as important, if a terrorist detainee is brought to the United States that terrorist is automatically afforded more constitutional rights than U.S. military personnel under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.  That only increases the threat that a judge will release the detainee into the U.S. population.  There are also serious questions about whether the Army Field Manual, while appropriate to guide soldiers on the battlefield, is best suited for professionally-administered lawful interrogations.  Republicans want to work with our President to address these national security concerns, but we should not gamble with the safety and security of the American people and our troops on the battlefield.  It would be irresponsible to close this terrorist detainee facility until these important questions are answered.”

NOTE:  Boehner joined a number of his Republican colleagues today in cosponsoring the Enemy Combatant Detention Review Act (H.R. 6705), legislation introduced by Judiciary Committee Ranking Republican Lamar Smith (R-TX) to establish clear rules regarding the detention of known-terrorists.  The legislation creates a lawful, standardized process for the detention of enemy combatants without allowing these individuals to be released into the United States.

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