Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) today sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder demanding that he stop sending Guantanamo detainees to Saudi Arabia. Some
Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) today sent a letter to Attorney General Eric Holder demanding that he stop sending Guantanamo detainees to Saudi Arabia.
Some Gitmo prisoners, particularly Yemenis with ties to Saudi Arabia, have been sent there to participate in the terrorist rehabilitation program run by the Saudi government. The effectiveness of that program has been the subject of controversy.
Although Holder and Defense Secretary Robert Gates have defended the program, Sessions today wrote that 11 of Saudi Arabia’s 85 most wanted terrorists are “graduates” of the country’s rehabilitation program.
“The list of failed participants in the Saudi program reads like a ‘who’s who’ of Al Qaeda terrorists on the Arabian Peninsula,” Sessions wrote. Sessions said participants in the program have included Said Ali al Shiri, the deputy leader of al-Qaeda in Yemen; Ibrahim Suleiman al Rubaish, al-Qaeda’s mufti, or theological leader, in the Arabian Peninsula; Abu Hareth Muhammad al-Awfi, who appeared in an al-Qaeda video in January 2009; Yousef Mohammed al Shihri, who was shot by Saudi security forces in October 2009 while trying to pass through a security checkpoint wearing women’s clothing and an explosives belt.
Sessions cited a May 2009 New York Times report which said that “the Pentagon believes that 74 prisoners released from Guantánamo have returned to terrorism or militant activity.” If true, that would mean about 1 in 7 of the 534 detainees that had been released by last May had subsequently engaged in terrorist activity.
“If the administration continues to rely on the Saudi program, I fear this number will only increase,” wrote Sessions.
The Saudi rehabilitation program reportedly includes a mix of religious, psychological and social programs that ultimately aim to give participants a stable social network and financial opportunities so that they won’t have to rely on terrorists. Family and tribal leaders then take responsibility for their their future behavior.
The Obama administration has sent some Yemenis to Saudi Arabia rather than return them to Yemen because the U.S. government has less confidence in Yemeni officials’ ability to prevent the men from joining local terrorist organizations. Because nearly 100 Yemenis remain in detention at Guantanamo, however, the administration is under serious pressure to find someplace to send them in order to fulfill its promise of closing the prison camp next year.
President Obama has already acknowledged that Guantanamo will not be closed by his original January 2010 deadline.
Rep. Patrick McHenry: Please, Conservatives, Fill Out Your Census Forms!
The conservative congressman from North Carolina, a constant critic of the census -- one of the people who sounded the alarm about politicization when the
Rep. Paulsen allies with medical device industry to relax FDA oversight
Source: Flickr; Republicanconference (www.flickr.com/photos/republicanconference) On the heels of the Minnesota Independent story last week about U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen’s cozy financial relationship with the medical device industry, the New York Times reported Tuesday that some health professionals are alarmed by Paulsen’s push to relax Food and Drug Administration (FDA) oversight
Rep. Parker Griffith (R-Ala.)
One of the most conservative Democrats in the House -- a freshman who said he couldn’t support Nancy Pelosi again -- is going to switch over to the GOP. Josh
Rep. Paulsen touts balanced budget constitutional amendment
In a post for the conservative blog True North , U.S. Rep
Rep. Paulsen, Karl Rove the latest to get ‘glittered’
Rep. Erik Paulsen and former Bush staffer Karl Rove were both showered with glitter at the Midwest Leadership Conference Friday
Rep. Paul Ryan to deliver SOTU response
Chairman of the House Budget Committee Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) will deliver the Republican response to the State of the Union Tuesday, according to Mike Allen
Rep. Perlmutter criticizes House measure that would eliminate 800K federal jobs
Congressman Ed Perlmutter today issued a scathing statement criticizing the House of Representatives for passing a spending bill that could put nearly a million federal employees out of work. The Colorado delegation voted strictly on party lines, with all four Republicans voting in favor of the bill and the three Democrats voting in opposition. Perlmutter’s statement: “My number one priority is to get people back to work because that’s the best thing we can do to pay our debt and move forward toward economic stability
Rep. Perlmutter to hold constituent meet-up in grocery store
Colorado Congressman Ed Perlmutter will hold a Government in the Grocery constituent meet-up this evening from 5-7 at the Safeway at 38th and Wadsworth in Wheat Ridge. The address is 3900 Wadsworth. The meeting, where Perlmutter typically sits at a folding table and talks to whomever shows up, is free and open to the public
Rep. Peace, ACLU seek investigation of soldier’s allegations of racial discrimination in Afghanistan
Both Rep. Steve Pearce (R-NM) and the American Civil Liberties Union agree: There needs to be an investigation into Spc.
School of Hock
A growing number of college grads are defaulting on their student loans as the economy worsens.