Madam Speaker, it is my understanding that President Obama's decision regarding the release into the U.S. of a number of Uyghur detainees held at Guantanamo Bay since 2002 could be imminent. The New…
Madam Speaker, it is my understanding that President Obama's decision regarding the release into the U.S. of a number of Uyghur detainees held at Guantanamo Bay since 2002 could be imminent.
The New York Times, ABC News and other news outlets have reported that the President will soon release these terrorists into the United States, yet this Congress has not been briefed on this decision.
Let me be clear, these terrorists would not be held in prisons, but they would be released into your neighborhoods. They should not be released into the United States. Do Members realize who these people are?
There have been published reports that the Uyghurs were members of the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement, a designated terrorist organization affiliated with al Qaeda.
Releasing the Uyghurs is a matter of grave concern, a matter which prompted me to send a letter to the President last Friday detailing my reservations about any course of action that could pose a threat to the American people.
In my letter I called on the President to declassify all information about the capture and detention of the Uyghur detainees, including a threat assessment for each detainee who would be released in the U.S.
The American people, Madam Speaker, deserve the facts about these detainees and the risk they potentially pose to our communities.
Following the precedent that the administration set in declassifying the Office of Legal Counsel interrogation memos, they have a moral obligation to the American people to declassify all relevant information related to the Uyghur detainees.
This administration has already shown that it has no qualms about releasing selected classified documents. The White House cannot just pick and choose what classified information it deems worthy of releasing. It cannot have it both ways. It shouldn't release information that conveniently makes their case without making information with profound national security implications available to the American people.
After learning that this decision was imminent, I requested briefings from a number of relevant agencies, but all the agencies have told me that our Department of Justice is now preventing them from speaking to me directly on this issue. So much for being open. So much for disclosure.
Is the Attorney General preventing agencies from answering Members' questions? Is this a political decision being made by Eric Holder, the Attorney General?
This is not the transparency and accountability the President promised, nor is it the open and constructive relationship they claim they want with Congress. This is, at best, a poor judgment and, at worst, a dangerous hypocrisy.
Is the administration intent on keeping Congress and the American people in the dark about critically important national security issues?
Madam Speaker, I have criticized both Republican and Democratic administrations for actions that I believe undermine the safety and the security of the American people.
I have not received responses to two letters to Attorney General Holder on the transfer of Guantanamo Bay prisoners. The first letter was dated March 13. The second letter was dated April 23. And I will submit them for the Record. They still have not answered the letters. My office has been told by the White House that some of the questions I have asked cannot even be answered.
When Attorney General Holder appeared before the Commerce-Justice- Science appropriations subcommittee, he poignantly said he would not play hide and seek with the information. What are they now trying to hide from the American people?
The Attorney General is slow-rolling the information as terrorist detainees are potentially going to be released into the United States.
According to an L.A. Times article published last week, ``The Homeland Security Department has registered concerns about the plan,'' among other government agencies.
Information I have received indicates that the Uyghurs may be more dangerous than the public has been led to believe.
Just last night, 60 Minutes had a disturbing segment which touched on the radicalization of the Guantanamo Bay detainees. The story indicated that in Saudi Arabia alone, of 117 men returned from Guantanamo, 11 have shown up again on Saudi Arabia's most wanted terrorist list.
Any intelligence assessment of the Uyghurs must take into account not only their previous training at terrorist camps but their potential subsequent exposure to the likes of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of 9/11 who took pleasure in the beheading of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl.
I say to this administration, the American people have a right to know all the facts, and I fear personally that expediency is clouding their judgment, which is inexcusable after we saw what took place on 9/ 11.
The stakes are simply too high for this administration to reasonably think that the American people should simply take their word that these men pose no security threats. I call on the Obama administration to declassify and release all the information that they have available so the American people can make a judgment.
House of Representatives,
Washington, DC, May 1, 2009.
Hon. Barack H. Obama,
President, the White House,
Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. President: It is my understanding that your
decision regarding whether to release a number of Chinese
Uyghur detainees held at Guantanamo Bay into the United
States is imminent. I have grave concerns about this action,
which I believe could directly threaten the security of the
American people.
Information I have received indicates that the Uyghurs may
be more dangerous than the public has been led to believe. I
write today asking that you declassify all intelligence
regarding their capture, detention, and your administration's
assessment of the threat they may pose to Americans, prior to
any decision to release them. The American people deserve to
have all the facts about these individuals before they should
be expected to tolerate their presence in our communities.
I believe your administration also has an obligation to
explain to the American people how you will monitor the
Uyghurs' activities should they be released in the U.S.
Additionally, all state and local law enforcement should
immediately be notified of your intended decision, provided a
threat assessment of the released Uyghurs, and informed of
the federal government's plans to monitor their activities
once released.
Following the precedent you have set in declassifying the
Office of Legal Counsel interrogation memos, you have a moral
obligation to declassify this critical information. The
American people cannot afford to simply take your word that
these detainees, who were captured training in terrorist
camps, are not a threat if released into our communities.
Best wishes.
Sincerely,
Frank R. Wolf,
Member of Congress.
