Grassley: Getting GOP support to close Gitmo a 'longshot'

It's a "longshot" that Republicans would get on board with an agreement to close Guantanamo Bay and bring terror suspects to the U.S. for trial, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) said Wednesday.

Grassley, a senior member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said that it is extremely unlikely that fellow Republicans would sign onto a deal being sought by Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) that would close the terrorist detention facility in Cuba in exchange for terrorist detainees being brought to the continental U.S. to face military trials.

"Look, I believe it's a longshot for Lindsey Graham to get very many Republicans for closing down Gitmo," Grassley said during a conference call with Iowa reporters, cautioning: "I can't quantify it; I haven't had conversations on it."

Graham has reportedly been in talks with the White House to potentially negotiate a compromise on the terrorist detention facility, as well as the trials the Obama administration has sought for suspects in terrorism cases. The compromise, Graham has hinted, would envision shutting down the Guantanamo base facility and coming up with a legal framework for holding and prosecuting terror suspects outside of the traditional criminal justice system.

"I think both the philosophical feelings of Republican senators themselves, plus grassroots opposition to closing Gitmo -- or, more importantly, grassroots opposition to bringing them to the United States...is pretty strong," Grassley said. "And that's why it'll be difficult for too many Republicans."

Republicans have railed against the Obama administration's plans to move terror suspects to a facility in Illinois, as well as a decision to try Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and other alleged al-Qaeda officials in New York City. The administration has signaled it may back off the New York trials, though.

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