Scalise: Bringing GITMO Detainees To U.S. Soil A Reckless Proposition

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Steve Scalise (R-La.) issued the following statement today regarding President Obama’s proposal to close Guantanamo Bay:

“President Obama’s misguided quest to bring terrorist detainees into America is illegal. His latest attempt to appease his political base jeopardizes America's national security and is further evidence that he does not take the global terrorist threat seriously enough. This reckless proposition fails to disclose required details, such as where he would send these terrorists and how much it would cost taxpayers, raising deeper questions about how much thought really went into this misguided proposal.

"The President recently signed legislation—passed with strong bipartisan support—barring him from transferring these radical detainees into the United States. His own Attorney General and Secretary of Defense both agree that doing so would violate the law. Instead of spending time trying to give rights to terrorists who plotted and carried out attacks against Americans, President Obama should focus his attention on developing a strategy to defeat radical Islamic terrorists like ISIS. The Republican-led Congress will use every tool we have available to reject this dangerous proposal as we continue working to keep Americans safe from radical Islamic terrorists.”