Just 62 days from Election Day, liberal U.S. Representative Brad Ellsworth (D-IN) is desperately lying about his record and lashing out his Republican challenger Dan Coats (R-IN), who launched a new ad highlighting Ellsworth’s votes to close the Guantanamo Bay and transfer and prosecute terrorist detainees to U.S. soil.

WTHR-TV reports that “Dan Coats launched the ad last week criticizing Ellsworth over his stance on the Guantanamo Bay prison” claiming that “My opponent voted to close Guantanamo and move terrorists to the United States where they can have the same legal rights as Americans. As your senator I will fight the move.” However, “Ellsworth spoke to reporters about the ad, saying Coats’ claims were untrue,” and citing “military top brass who testified before Congress that both federal courts and military tribunals were needed to deal with terrorist suspects.”

But, contrary to Ellsworth’s dishonest attempts to run from his own record, the facts reveal that he voted on numerous occasions to support the Obama Administration’s attempts to close Guantanamo Bay. Ellsworth also voted for measures that would allow President Obama to transfer, detain, and prosecute terrorist suspects on American soil, a move that many senior military officers and intelligence officials warned “would threaten national security and public safety,” as “Prisoners transferred to U.S. prisons would turn those prisons — and the nearby civilian populations — into high-probability terrorist targets.”

“Brad Ellsworth’s record in support of Nancy Pelosi and President Obama’s policies to close Guantanamo Bay and bring terrorist suspects to U.S. soil speaks for itself,” said National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) spokesman Brian Walsh. “Ellsworth’s false claims are yet another reminder that he is completely out-of-touch with Hoosier voters, who have rejected his weak positions on national security and his reckless spending agenda in Washington. This November, voters in Indiana will have an opportunity to elect an honorable and trustworthy leader in Dan Coats as their next U.S. Senator.”

Background Information:

Ellsworth Supported The Transfer And Release Of Guantanamo Prisoners In The U.S.

In October 2009, Ellsworth Voted Against An Effort To Reject The Transfer Or Release Of Guantanamo Bay Detainees Into The United States Or Its Territories. “McKeon, R-Calif., motion to recommit the conference report on the bill to the conference committee with instructions that managers not accept provisions that would allow for the transfer or release of detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, into the United States or its territories. It also would instruct managers to insist on a one-year expansion of eligibility that would allow all disabled military retirees to concurrently receive military retired pay and veterans’ disability compensation.” (H.R. 2647, CQ Vote #769: Motion rejected 208-216: R 174-0; D 34-216, 10/8/09, Ellsworth Voted Nay)

• The Vote Allowed Detainees To Be Transferred To The U.S. For Trials. “Key Democratic lawmakers agreed Wednesday to allow detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to be transferred to the United States for trial, removing one of several hurdles the administration must clear to meet its January deadline for closing the military prison.” (Peter Finn, “Key Democrats Would Let Guantanamo Detainees Be Tried In U.S.” The Washington Post, 10/8/09)

Many Senior Military Officers And Intelligence Officials Wrote A Letter Warning That Bringing Detainees To The U.S. Would Threaten National Security. “More than two dozen retired senior military officers, as well as several retired intelligence and law enforcement officials, sent a letter to President Obama and every member of Congress on Wednesday to warn that bringing detainees to the United States ‘would threaten national security and public safety. Prisoners transferred to U.S. prisons would turn those prisons — and the nearby civilian populations — into high-probability terrorist targets,’ the letter said. ‘Based on past experience in Guantanamo, they would also expose prison staff to unique threats, physical risks and legal liabilities.’” (Peter Finn, “Key Democrats Would Let Guantanamo Detainees Be Tried In U.S.” The Washington Post, 10/8/09)

Ellsworth Supported The Prosecution Of Guantanamo Prisoners In The U.S.

In October 2009, Ellsworth Voted Against An Effort To Prevent Guantanamo Bay Detainees From Being Brought Into The United States For Prosecution Or Incarceration. “Rogers, R-Ky., motion to recommit the conference report on the bill to the conference committee with instructions that managers not accept language that would allow detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to be brought into the United States or its territories for prosecution or incarceration.” (H.R. 2892, CQ Vote #783: Motion rejected 193-224: R 168-1; D 25-223, 10/15/09, Ellsworth Voted Nay)

• All But One Republican Voted Against The Measure, Citing That It Would “Pose A Security Risk And Confer American Legal Protections On Those Who Do Not Deserve Them.”The New York Times, 10/16/09) “The detainee-transfer provision was resisted by Republicans, who contend that bringing the suspects to trial in the United States would pose a security risk and confer American legal protections on those who do not deserve them. Republicans tried to snip the provision from the overall bill, but the effort failed by 224 to 193, with 25 Democrats joining 168 Republicans on the losing side. (David Stout, “House Allows Guantanamo To Transfer Some To U.S.”

• The Conference Report Allowed Guantanamo Bay Detainees Be Brought To The U.S. To Stand Trial. “The House voted Thursday to allow detainees being held at the Guantanamo Bay naval base in Cuba to be transferred to the United States, but only to stand trial. Passage of the measure, attached to a $42.8 billion appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security, was a step forward for President Obama’s efforts to close the Guantanamo prison. The measure now goes to the Senate.” (David Stout, “House Allows Guantanamo To Transfer Some To U.S.” The New York Times, 10/16/09)

Michael Mukasey From The Wall Street Journal Claimed That The Challenges Of Holding Terrorism Trials In The U.S. “Are Overwhelming.” “The challenges of a terrorism trial are overwhelming. To maintain the security of the courthouse and the jail facilities where defendants are housed, deputy U.S. marshals must be recruited from other jurisdictions; jurors must be selected anonymously and escorted to and from the courthouse under armed guard; and judges who preside over such cases often need protection as well. All such measures burden an already overloaded justice system and interfere with the handling of other cases, both criminal and civil. Moreover, there is every reason to believe that the places of both trial and confinement for such defendants would become attractive targets for others intent on creating mayhem, whether it be terrorists intent on inflicting casualties on the local population, or lawyers intent on filing waves of lawsuits over issues as diverse as whether those captured in combat must be charged with crimes or released, or the conditions of confinement for all prisoners, whether convicted or not.” (Michael B. Mukasey, Op-Ed, “House Civilian Courts Are No Place To Try Terrorists,” The Wall Street Journal, 10/19/09)

Ellsworth Voted To Allow The Use Of Taxpayer Money To Close Guantanamo Bay

In June 2009, Ellsworth Voted Twice Against An Effort To Bar The Use Of Taxpayer Dollars To Close The Detention Facility At Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. “Lewis, R-Calif., amendment that would bar the use of funds in the bill to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.” (H.R. 2847, CQ Vote #360: Rejected in Committee of the Whole 212-216: R 172-3; D 40-213, 6/18/09, Ellsworth Voted Nay; H.R. 2847, CQ Vote #361: Rejected 212-213: R 173-2; D 39-211, 6/18/09, Ellsworth Voted Nay)

Ellsworth Claimed That People Who Commit Domestic Federal Crimes Are “Just As Dangerous” To Prison Guards As “Anybody From A Radical Islamic Terrorist.” “[I] will go on the record as saying that an inmate that is brought for a domestic federal crime in any of our federal prisons is just as dangerous to these guards as anybody from a radical Islamic terrorist with what they’re given, with the professional job they do of keeping them, the weapons out of their hands. They’re just human beings.” (Rep. Brad Ellsworth, “House Committee On Armed Services Holds A Markup Of Pending Defense Authorization And Shipbuilding-Aviation Legislation, U.S. House Armed Services Committee, 6/16/09)

Ellsworth: “[I]f We Can Afford To Build A Prison In Iraq, We Can Afford To Build Another Supermax In The United States.” “[I]n regards to the Federal Bureau of Prisons saying they don’t have capacity, I also know that we’re building prisons in Iraq and then we have to bulldoze them down because of the substandard building. But if we can afford to build a prison in Iraq, we can afford to build another Supermax in the United States. And last, but not least, should they get out of the building, through the metal doors, through the bars that is usually three layers, and this isn’t Supermax, this is in Terre Haute, Indiana, three layers of razor wire. Then they get to a barbed wire fence that under 40 pounds of pressure, breaks and wraps the person that gets into the fence around them and holds them. If they get past that one they get to the electric fence, where on the first touch it knocks them back about 10 feet. If they’re brave enough to go against it again then it’s all over. It holds them against it with, I don’t know the exact voltage of that.” (Rep. Brad Ellsworth, “House Committee On Armed Services Holds A Markup Of Pending Defense Authorization And Shipbuilding-Aviation Legislation,” U.S. House Armed Services Committee, 6/16/09)

• Ellsworth Claims That Prison Guards Say After A Certain Amount Of Time, Imprisoned Radical Islamist Terrorists Worry About “When Their Next Meal Is, When The Magazines Are Brought Around, What TV Show’s Coming On. That’s All They Care About.” “Another thing, the last thing and then I’ll yield. The guards told me when I was asking about some of these detainees. We hold terrorists right now. We’ve got Russian mafia. We’ve got radical Islamist terrorists in these institutions right now. You know what they tell me? After a certain amount of time that they become institutionalized just like every other inmate. They worry about when their next meal is, when the magazines are brought around, what TV show’s coming on. That’s all they care about. We’ve got the technology in these prisons right now to monitor — A, cut them off from any communication from the outside world so that they can’t have any type communication and we can separate them from other inmates totally, where they have no communication. That’s a simple order of a federal judge.” (Rep. Brad Ellsworth, “House Committee On Armed Services Holds A Markup Of Pending Defense Authorization And Shipbuilding-Aviation Legislation,” U.S. House Armed Services Committee, 6/16/09)

In March 2007 In Committee, Ellsworth Voted Against An Amendment Preventing Soldiers Wounded In Combat And Evacuated From Being Housed Within 50 Miles Of Any Foreign National Detainees Who Had Been Held At Guantanamo Bay. “Amendment that would require the secretary of Defense to certify that no soldier wounded in combat and evacuated, will be housed in any domestic U.S. military facility within 50 miles of any foreign national detainees who were, as of March 20, 2007, or any time thereafter, in the custody of the Department of Defense at the U.S. naval station in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.” (H.R. 1538, House Armed Services Committee, J. Miller (R-FL) Amdt: Wounded Soldiers’ Healthcare/Keep Guantanamo Detainees Away, Rejected 27-33: R 27-0; D 0-33, 3/20/07, Ellsworth Voted Nay)