HOUSE ARMED SERVICES COMMITTEE HOLDS HEARING ON GUANTANAMO DETAINEES

I recently questioned senior Bush Administration officials at a hearing of the House Armed Services Committee on detainees at Guantanamo Bay and the recent related Supreme Court ruling.  My goal is to find a way forward for these military commissions to try suspected terrorists, provided that they meet standards that will establish them as legitimate tribunals in the international community.

The recent Supreme Court ruling, Hamdan v. Rumsfeld, held that the Bush Administration does not have the authority to hold military commissions at Guantanamo Bay.  The court ruled that these commissions violated both U.S., and international law.  This decision presents a significant legal dilemma for our country, our troops, and the wider War on Terrorism.

Congress must not take this decision lightly.  We must not simply enact legislation that would codify the President’s existing military commission system.  Doing so would make us weaker in the War on Terrorism.  I promise to continue to work diligently and in a bipartisan way so that we can find a workable solution that falls within current U.S. and international law.

Click here to listen to a recent report from NPR on the House Armed Services Committee hearing regarding the Hamdan decision. 

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