Washington, D.C. - U.S. Rep. Rick Larsen (WA-02) released the following statement today after the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) convened to mark-up H.R. 6054, a bill to authorize trials by military commission for violations of the law of war and for other purposes.

“We need a system of justice that swiftly prosecutes terrorists, brings certain justice, and passes the standards the Supreme Court set in the Hamdan v. Rumsfeld case.  The President’s most recent proposal and the bill that passed the House Armed Services Committee today do not pass these tests.”

“Under the current system, there have been no trials for terrorists, no convictions, and no justice for American victims of terrorism in the last five years.”

“The President’s proposal will not deliver swift justice to Americans.  Rather, this proposal will likely get bogged down in legal challenges and thrown out by the Supreme Court again.  This will further delay justice for American victims of terrorism.”

“Today, I voted for alternative legislation sponsored by ranking member of the House Armed Services Committee, Ike Skelton of Missouri.  I believe the Skelton alternative will withstand Supreme Court scrutiny and decrease the likelihood of overturned convictions.”

“Furthermore, we must protect American soldiers.  Congress must uphold the standards of the Geneva Conventions to best protect our men and women serving overseas.  We must not open a door that could undermine the standards by which our soldiers are protected in times of war.  Military lawyers reminded HASC members that the Geneva Conventions exist to protect our soldiers.” 

“The legislation I voted for does not undermine our commitments under the Geneva Conventions.” 

“The President’s bill and approach embodied in the Chairman’s mark could place United States servicemembers at risk by establishing an entirely new international legal standard that they could be subject to, if captured overseas.  The Navy’s Judge Advocate General, Rear Adm. Bruce MacDonald recently testified: ‘… I would be very concerned about other nations looking in on the United States and making a determination that, if it’s good enough for the United States, it’s good enough for us, and perhaps doing a lot of damage and harm internationally if one of our servicemen or –women were taken and held as a detainee.’”

“A vote for the Skelton bill is a vote for swift and certain justice.  A vote for the President’s proposal is a vote for justice delayed and justice denied.”

The committee passed the Chairman’s mark.  The bill will now move to the floor of the House of Representatives.

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