|
Greenville,
SC –
Yesterday,
U.S.
Senator
Tim
Scott
(R-SC),
joined
by
five
fellow
members
of
the
South
Carolina
congressional
delegation,
wrote
to
President
Obama
calling
for
the
immediate
halt
of
any
plan
to
relocate dangerous
international
terrorists
currently
held
in
the
Guantanamo
Bay
Detention
Camp
in
Cuba
to
any
domestic
sites
on
US
soil.
The
president,
early
on,
announced
that
he
would
close Guantanamo
Bay
and
last
week, the
Department
of
Defense
begun conducting
site
surveys
in
the
United
States
to
look
at
options
for
places
to
house detainees. The
Consolidated
Naval
Brig
(Brig)
in
Charleston,
Fort
Leavenworth
in
Kansas,
along
with
several
other
undisclosed
facilities
are
under
consideration
by
the
Obama
Administration.
The
letter
in
part
reads,
"We
are
extremely
concerned
that
your
administration
is
conducting
site
surveys
to
review
the
Consolidated
Naval
Brig
(Brig)
in
Charleston,
South
Carolina,
among
other
areas,
as
potential
sites
to
relocate
dangerous
international
terrorists
currently
held
in
the
Guantanamo
Bay
Detention
Camp.
This
action
is
ill
advised
and
could
prove
to
be
dangerous
for
the
American
people,
particularly
those
in
South
Carolina.
Unfortunately,
it
appears
that
your
administration
is
more
concerned
about
fulfilling
hopeless
campaign
promises
than
protecting
the
safety
and
security
of
the
American
people.
“We
write
to
respectfully
request
an
immediate
halt
to
this
plan
and
to
inform
you
we
are
prepared
to
use
all
possible
means
to
keep
terrorists
in
Guantanamo
Bay
and
off
American
soil."
Their
letter
goes
on
to
note
that,
“To
be
clear,
we
do
not
simply
oppose
moving
Guantanamo
Bay
terrorists
to
South
Carolina—we
strongly
oppose
any
efforts
to
close
Guantanamo
Bay
Detention
Camp
and
move
its
detainees
to
anywhere
in
the
U.S.
or
the
rest
of
the
world.
There
is
no
plan
or
study
that
shows
transferring
prisoners
from
Guantanamo
Bay
to
South
Carolina
or
any
other
domestic
location
will
make
America
safer.
Any
effort
to
remove
them
from
the
facility
only
allows
a
possibility
of
them
returning
to
their
previous
lives
as
vicious
terrorists
who
are
ready,
willing
and
able
to
kill
innocent
people
across
the
world.”
In
addition
to
Senator
Scott,
the
letter
was
signed
by Congressmen
Joe
Wilson,
Jeff
Duncan,
Trey
Gowdy,
Mick
Mulvaney,
Mark
Sanford,
and
Tom
Rice. Its
text
is
included
below.
***
August
20,
2015
President
Barack
Obama
The
White
House
1600
Pennsylvania
Avenue,
NW
Washington,
D.C.
20500
Dear
President
Obama,
We
are
extremely
concerned
that
your
administration
is
conducting
site
surveys
to
review
the
Consolidated
Naval
Brig
(Brig)
in
Charleston,
South
Carolina,
among
other
areas,
as
potential
sites
to
relocate
dangerous
international
terrorists
currently
held
in
the
Guantanamo
Bay
Detention
Camp.
This
action
is
ill
advised
and
could
prove
to
be
dangerous
for
the
American
people,
particularly
those
in
South
Carolina.
Unfortunately,
it
appears
that
your
administration
is
more
concerned
about
fulfilling
hopeless
campaign
promises
than
protecting
the
safety
and
security
of
the
American
people.
We
write
to
respectfully
request
an
immediate
halt
to
this
plan
and
to
inform
you
we
are
prepared
to
use
all
possible
means
to
keep
terrorists
in
Guantanamo
Bay
and
off
American
soil.
As
we’re
sure
you
are
aware,
Congress
has
spoken
clearly
on
the
issue
of
moving
terrorists
from
Guantanamo
to
the
United
States.
Starting
with
the National
Defense
Authorization
Act
for
FY2013
and
the
Consolidated
and
Further
Continuing
Appropriations
Act,
2013,
Congress
has
specifically
prohibited
funds
from
being
used
to
transfer
or
release
detainees
into
the
United
States,
or
to
assist
in
the
transfer
or
release
of
detainees
into
the
country.
Notwithstanding
being
clearly
against
the
law,
the
intent
of
Congress,
and
the
will
of
the
American
people,
populating
the
Consolidated
Naval
Brig
with
some
of
the
world’s
most
dangerous
terrorists
and
killers
would
be
terribly
irresponsible.
The
Brig
is
located
less
than
a
mile
from
a
school,
and
there
are
other
schools
and
multiple
residential
neighborhoods
nearby.
Understandably,
our
constituents
do
not
want
for
themselves
or
their
friends
or
family
to
go
to
school
or
live
near
known
members
of
al
Qaeda
who
wish
nothing
more
than
to
kill
Americans,
or
to
be
so
close
to
what
will
instantly
become
a
high
value
terrorist
target.
We
are
confident
this
is
true
of
anyone.
The
Brig
is
also
in
close
proximity
to
one
of
our
nation’s
busiest
ports,
the
Port
of
Charleston,
as
well
as
the
City
of
Charleston,
which
was
named
the
number
one
tourist
destination
in
the
United
States.
Just
a
short
distance
down
the
road
from
the
elementary
schools
and
Port
is
the
Space
and
Naval
Warfare
Systems
Command
(SPAWAR)
Systems
Center
Atlantic,
and
the
Navy
Nuclear
Power
Training
Command.
Both
of
these
strategic
military
installations
are
vital
to
our
national
defense
and
military
readiness
and
would
only
further
raise
the
profile
for
the
area
to
become
a
target
for
terrorism.
Rolling
out
a
red
carpet
for
the
remaining
116
terrorists
at
Guantanamo
Bay
in
this
immediate
area
is
an
ill-conceived
combination
that
brings
too
much
risk.
To
be
clear,
we
do
not
simply
oppose
moving
Guantanamo
Bay
terrorists
to
South
Carolina—we
strongly
oppose
any
efforts
to
close
Guantanamo
Bay
Detention
Camp
and
move
its
detainees
to
anywhere
in
the
U.S.
or
the
rest
of
the
world.
There
is
no
plan
or
study
that
shows
transferring
prisoners
from
Guantanamo
Bay
to
South
Carolina
or
any
other
domestic
location
will
make
America
safer.
Any
effort
to
remove
them
from
the
facility
only
allows
a
possibility
of
them
returning
to
their
previous
lives
as
vicious
terrorists
who
are
ready,
willing
and
able
to
kill
innocent
people
across
the
world.
According
to
a
March
2015
report
by
the
Director
of
National
Intelligence, 17
percent
of
Guantanamo
terrorists
have
been
confirmed
in
reengaging
in
terrorist
activity
and
another
10
percent
are
suspected
of
reengaging
in
terrorism.
There
is
no
need
to
recreate
Guantanamo
Bay
at
great
risk
and
expense
domestically
when
it
already
exists.
With
these
facts
in
mind,
we
strongly
encourage
you
to
keep
the
terrorists
in
Guantanamo
Bay
where
they
belong,
and
pass
on
fulfilling
a
political
promise
that
would
jeopardize
America’s
national
security.
Whatever
your
decision,
we
respectfully
request
that
you
keep
our
offices
informed
on
any
and
all
plans
going
forward
regarding
moving
Guantanamo
Bay
terrorists
to
the
United
States.
Thank
you
for
your
prompt
attention
to
this
matter.
Sincerely,
/s/
Senator
Tim
Scott
/s/
Congressman
Mark
Sanford
(SC-01)
/s/
Congressman
Joe
Wilson
(SC-02)
/s/
Congressman
Jeff
Duncan
(SC
–
03)
/s/
Congressman
Trey
Gowdy
(SC-04)
/s/
Congressman
Mick
Mulvaney
(SC-05)
/s/
Congressman
Tom
Rice
(SC-07) |