Smith: President’s Claims Completely Contrary to Common Sense

WASHINGTON - Ranking Member Lamar Smith issued the following statement responding to President Obama's comments today regarding the Administration's plan to close Guantanamo Bay.

"Once again, the President's speech was heavy on rhetoric and out of touch with reality. Just one day after the FBI Director said suspected terrorists on U.S. soil pose a threat to Americans, four would-be terrorists were arrested in NYC, and a report found that 74 previously released terrorists have returned to the battlefield, President Obama is still calling for Guantanamo Bay to be closed!

"The Administration asserts that transferring terrorists from a detention facility on an isolated island to a prison inside the U.S. will make Americans safer. The Administration's claims are completely contrary to common sense. By the President's logic, we should close all other jails and prisons, too.

"The President is dodging the main issue: when detainees are sent to American shores, liberal federal judges will give them additional constitutional rights that may result in their release into our communities. And, as the FBI Director testified yesterday, even in U.S. prisons, terrorists can direct terrorist operations. That's why we want them isolated at Gitmo.

"Americans and others around the world are safer today because terrorists are kept at Guantanamo Bay. The President should put Americans' safety ahead of an image problem he himself created by making a campaign promise to close Gitmo."