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Boehner: Obama should leave Gitmo open because of attack
The Obama administration should "re-evaluate" the president's decision to close the Guantanamo Bay prison in the wake of the Christmas Day airline attack, the top House Republican said Wednesday.
Minority Leader John Boehner (Ohio) issued a statement asking that the detention center remain open and criticizing the administration's response to the failed bombing and its stance on national security issues.
Boehner went on to say that the president has been too soft in fighting the war on terror.
"Just as troubling is the administration’s treatment of this matter as a mere law enforcement issue," he said. "We’re fighting a war on terror, and this was a terrorist act. The threat we face is real, and we don't need to downplay it."
The Ohio lawmaker hit on two major issues in the debate over the Christmas Day terror attempt.
Earlier Wednesday, Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) requested that the administration halt prisoner transfers to Yemen. The alleged bomber, 23-year-old Nigerian Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab is reported to have ties to a Yemeni al Qaeda leader.
An al Qaeda cell in Yemen claimed responsibility for the attack on a Northwest Airlines flight from Amsterdam to Detroit.
The Justice Department nine days ago announced the transfer of six detainees to Yemen.
Boehner also advanced Republican criticisms of Obama's handling of terrorist threats. The minority leader borrowed language from Rep. Pete Hoekstra (Mich.) the top Republican on the House intelligence committee, saying the U.S. "need[s] to do a better job of connecting the dots" on terror plots.
Democrats and the White House have pushed back against Republican criticisms, saying that national security should be a nonpartisan matter and that the administration has responded appropriately to the attack.
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