Graham to make second run at blocking civilian trials for Gitmo terror suspects

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) on Thursday said he would make another attempt to halt the trials of so-called Sept. 11 "mastermind" Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other co-conspirators.

Two weeks ago the Senate turned aside an amendment Graham proposed that would have cut funding for the civilian trials. The upper chamber tabled the measure in a 54-45 vote. The former military prosecutor said that he would introduce a bill in the Senate sometime this week. 

"I'm going to try to get another vote on my bill," Graham told conservative talk radio host and lawyer Jay Sekulow on Thursday.

Last week, Graham had said that he would stay silent on the Sept. 11 terror trials until after he met with President Barack Obama. The president returns from his trip to Asia on Thursday.

Graham has argued that the Sept. 11 co-conspirators deserve a fair trial before a military tribunal, but has said a civilian trial would pose intelligence and military risk to the United States. Graham and his Senate ally John McCain (R-Ariz.) support closing the detention center at Guantanamo Bay but say military tribunals should handle the cases because they would not have to expose sensitive intelligence during a trial.

"I don't mind having enemy prisoners in American military jails in the states," he said. "[But] you're rewarding the terrorists for killing civilians [by having a civilian trial]."

Most Democrats opposed Graham's effort two weeks ago, arguing that it would prevent the Obama administration from seeking justice for the terrorists. Attorney General Eric Holder has said that sensitive intelligence would not have to be revealed at trial and vowed that federal prosecutors would secure a conviction.

The five Democrats to vote against the tabling two weeks ago were Sens. Jim Webb (Va.), Maria Cantwell (Wash.), Mark Pryor (Ark.), Blanche Lincoln (Ark.) and Joe Lieberman (Conn.), an Independent who caucuses with the Democrats.

---