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Washington
–
Last
week,
U.S.
Senator
Tim
Scott
(R-SC)
joined
Senators
Kelly
Ayotte
(R-NH),
James
Inhofe
(R-OK),
Tom
Cotton
(R-AR),
Michael
Rounds
(R-SD),
Thom
Tillis
(R-NC),
and
Lindsey
Graham
(R-SC)
demanded
increased
transparency
related
detainees
at
Guantanamo
and
their
transfer
to
other
countries.
Over
the
weekend,
the
Obama
administration
announced
the
transfer
of
five
Yemeni
men
from
Guantánamo
Bay
to
the
United
Arab
Emirates.
U.S.
Tim
Senator
Scott
(R-SC)
has
been
a
leading
voice
against
moving
detainees
at
Guantanamo
Bay
facility
to
any
domestic
site.
He
recently
visited
the
detention
facilities
at
Guantanamo
Bay
with
Senators
Kelly
Ayotte
(R-NH)
and
Shelley
Moore
Capito
(R-WV)
in
Cuba.
As
part
of
his
visit,
they
reviewed
the
detention
operations
and
met
with
American
troops
serving
at
the
facility.
Last
month,
the
President
vetoed
the
initial
version
of
the
NDAA,
stating
concerns
over
Guantanamo
as
well
as
spending
caps.
The
recent
budget
deal
satisfied
the
President’s
concerns
on
spending
caps;
however
the
President
continues
to
ignore
Congress
and
the
American
people
in
his
attempts
to
close
the
detention
facilities
at
Guantanamo.
Senator
Scott
is
committed
to using every
tool
at
his
disposal
to
block
the
transfer
of
dangerous
terrorists
from
Guantanamo
to
American
soil.
Senators:
Obama
left
Americans
'in
the
dark'
on
Guantanamo
Anna
Giaritelli
Washington
Examiner
November
13,
2015
In
a
Thursday
letter,
Sens.
Mike
Rounds
of
South
Dakota,
Kelly
Ayotte
of
New
Hampshire,
James
Inhofe
of
Oklahoma,
Tom
Cotton
of
Arkansas,
Thom
Tillis
of
North
Carolina,
and
Lindsey
Graham
and
Tim
Scott
of
South
Carolina
called
President
Obama
to
honor
his
2009
promise
to
be
transparent
about
released
or
transferred
detainees.
"The
administration's
actions
with
respect
to
Guantanamo
detainee
transfers
have
not
been
consistent
with
your
commitment,"
the
letter
states.
"As
a
result,
Americans
are
left
in
the
dark
regarding
the
detainee's
potential
membership
in
al
Qaeda
or
its
affiliates
…
Without
this
information,
it
is
difficult
for
Americans
to
accurately
assess
the
wisdom
of
transferring
these
detainees."
Current
administration
practices
disclose
only
the
names
of
released
detainee
and
the
country
the
individual
is
transferred
to.
The
senators
requested
information
on
all
detainees'
previous
terrorist
activities
and
associations,
previous
assessments
of
the
detainee's
risk
level
to
the
U.S.
and
our
allies,
and
behavior
while
in
detention.
###
Republicans
want
more
details
on
Gitmo
transfers
Jordain
Carney
The
Hill
November
13,
2015
Senate
Republicans
are
demanding
that
President
Obama
release
additional
details
on
detainees
that
are
transferred
out
of
the
Guantánamo Bay
prison
camp.
Republican
Sens.
Kelly
Ayotte
(N.H.),
Tom
Cotton
(Ark.),
Lindsey
Graham
(S.C.),
James
Inhofe
(Okla.),
Mike
Rounds
(S.D.),
Tim
Scott
(S.C.)
and
Thom
Tillis
(N.C.)
sent
a
letter
to
Obama
saying
they
are
concerned
about
a
"lack
of
transparency"
regarding
who
is
being
released
from
the
camp.
"When
a
detainee
is
transferred,
the
only
specific
information
released
by
the
Department
of
Defense
is
the
detainee’s
name
and
the
name
of
the
country
to
which
the
detainee
will
be
transferred,"
the
senators
wrote
in
the
letter,
which
was
sent
Thursday
but
released
Friday.
"As
a
result,
Americans
are
left
in
the
dark
regarding
the
detainee’s
potential
membership
in
al
Qaeda
or
its
affiliates,
terrorist
training,
or
previous
hostile
actions
against
U.S.
troops."
The
lawmakers
added
that,
without
the
information,
including
what
will
happen
to
detainees
once
they
are transferred,
"it
is
difficult
for
Americans
to
accurately
assess
the
wisdom
of
transferring
these
detainees."
The
senators
want
the
president
to
hand
over
extra
information
on the
112
detainees
currently
at Guantánamo Bay,
including
any
previous
terrorism
ties,
if
they
were
involved
in
attacks against
U.S.
troops
or
their
allies,
and
if
they
are
a
high-risk
threat
to
the
United
States.
[…]
The
administration
is
expected
to
hand
over
a
plan
to
lawmakers
on
closing Guantánamo,
which
would likely
include
moving
dozens
of
the
112
detainees
to
U.S.
facilities.
Republicans
are
suggesting
they
will
reject
the
proposal,
and
Congress
recently
passed
a
defense
bill
that
would
ban
transferring
detainees
into
the
United
States.
The
administration,
however,
hasn't
ruled
out
using
executive
action,
which
would
likely spark
a
legal
battle over
the
detainees.
Republican
lawmakers
are
already
pledging
that
they
would
want
to
take
the
president
to
court
if
he
tries
to
leapfrog
Congress.
The
senators
are
asking
that
administration
provide
the
information
in
a
declassified
setting,
so
it
could
be
shared
with
constituents.
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