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AG Holder Complains "Politics" Is Delaying KSM's Trial
By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 12, 2010
Modified Jul 12, 2010
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By
Jen Chung
Published Jul 12, 2010
Modified Jul 12, 2010
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U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder discussed the hot-button topic of trying the 9/11 terror plotters, including Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, with CBS News' Bob Schieffer. The Justice Department still hasn't made a decision about whether KSM and the others will be tried in civilian court or a military tribunal; Holder said they will hold a trial "as soon as we can... We are bound and determined to hold Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and those who worked with him… responsible for happened on September 11," but "One of the things I think that is particularly bothersome to me is that this really has become something that has become political."
Holder explained, "Politicization of this issue, when we're dealing with ultimate national security issues, is something that disturbs me a great deal... Republicans and Democrats arguing about this in a political way, as opposed to dealing with the substance... is something that I think is regrettable and has resulted, I think, in the delays that we have seen."
Critics of a civilian trial say that it will put the country at risk. Holder pointed out that the death penalty is a possibility with a civilian trial, while it's unclear if that can be a punishment in a tribunal. Holder said, "I think if we try to exclude the federal criminal justice system, we are taking away one of the tools that we have. And I think ultimately we make this nation much weaker. That's a very dangerous thing, I think, to take that tool out of our hands."
Besides emphasizing that "Justice has been denied too long," Holder believes that closing Guantanamo is very important, "Guantanamo… serves as a recruiting tool for al Qaeda. "The intelligence shows that, continues to show that that is true. It has served as a wedge between us and our traditional allies. We have done all that we can to try to close Guantanamo."
Tagged
9/11
civil trial
eric holder
guantanamo bay
khalid sheik mohammed
military tribunal
terror trial
Jen Chung
Jen Chung is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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