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Lindsey Graham Makes His Move

The Washington Post reports that Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has submitted draft legislation to restrict the substantive and procedural rights of terrorism

Jul 31, 2020117.5K Shares2.3M Views
The Washington Post reportsthat Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) has submitted draft legislation to restrict the substantive and procedural rights of terrorism suspects to the White House as part of a deal for closing the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay. Graham’s antipathy to civilian trials for at least some of those suspects may have dubious merit, but it hasn’t stopped the White House from working with him, nor has stated GOP opposition for any Guantanamo-closure dealproven to be an obstacle to a deal taking shape. While the terms of the draft legislation are unclear, I reportedon March 9 that Graham wanted some system for indefinite detention.
Notice that this is all far beyond simply trading Khalid Shaikh Mohammed being tried in a military commission for closing Guantanamo. Once Graham saw the White House was interested in dealing, he raised the stakes. The Post:
The talks are now much broader, participants said. It appears unlikely that Graham would settle for the narrower deal, and officials said the White House and the senator would prefer to reach what some have termed a “grand bargain.”
What’s to stop Graham from raising them again if he sees initial indications among Senate Democrats for such a bargain?
An aide to Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.), the majority whip and a member of Judiciary Committee, told me on Friday that the discussions were just beginning and were “weeks away from the end of the process.” The aide gave no indication of how Senate Democrats would view Graham’s proposal, only that they would give it its due study.
Paula M. Graham

Paula M. Graham

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