STATEMENT OF BARBARA COMSTOCK, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC AFFAIRS, REGARDING THE ORAL
ARGUMENT IN NATIONAL CENTER FOR SECURITY STUDIES V. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

“As we explained to the Court today, the Justice Department is committed to preserving the integrity of the counterterrorism investigation and the privacy of individuals who have chosen not to make public their connection to the government's investigation. Giving terrorists a virtual roadmap to our investigation may allow terrorists to map out a potentially deadly detour around our efforts, bringing further tragedy to our nation.

"When the September 11 investigation leads us to those who have violated our nation’s laws, we enforce those laws and appropriately detain those individuals. However, all detainees have the rights afforded by the Constitution, are informed of the charges against them, are provided access to counsel, and can disclose their identity to the public at any time."

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