The Associated Press is reporting disturbing new information today: “Americans have been killed by prisoners released from the detention center at Guantanamo Bay.”
Paul Lewis, a senior Obama administration official, shared this information with lawmakers when he testified before the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Just a few weeks ago, Democratic Senate candidate Joe Sestak confirmed at a campaign event that he agrees with the President’s plan to close the facility – doubling down on dangerous votes from his time in Congress.
It has already been reported that many of the Gitmo detainees have returned to terrorism, but today we’ve learned that those individuals are responsible for the loss of American lives.
Does today’s somber development change Joe Sestak’s position?
MORE on Sestak’s position —
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Sestak Supports President Obama’s Plan To Close The Guantanamo Bay Prison And Bring Detainees To American Soil. “Sestak, a retired Navy admiral and former Delaware County congressman, said he has long supported closing the military detention center in Cuba, arguing that detainees should be brought to the United States and tried — as Obama has proposed. ‘I fought for the rule of law in America,’ Sestak said Tuesday during a campaign event at Muhlenberg College. ‘To put people somewhere where they’re outside in a purgatory away from our laws is wrong.’” (Laura Olson, “Joe Sestak Talks Guantanamo Bay Closure, National Security During Allentown Campaign Stop,” The Morning Call, 2/23/16)
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Sestak Believes Terrorists Should Be Given Civilian Trials In The United States, Even In Pennsylvania. “U.S. Rep. Joe Sestak, said he supports civil trials in U.S. courts for terror suspects, no matter the location. Republican Senate candidate Pat Toomey opposes holding the trial anywhere but before a military tribunal.” (Salena Zito and Brian Bowling, “Western Pennsylvania could host 9/11 terror trial,” Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, 1/30/10)
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In 2010, Sestak Said Closing Guantanamo And Moving Its Detainees To Prisons In The U.S. Was “Necessary In Order To Prevent Use Of Its Operation As A Propaganda Tool.” “The homeland is secured from terrorist threats, but that a proper balance between national security and civil liberties is maintained; Closure of the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay (and removal of detainees to supermax prisons or other high security facilities) is necessary in order prevent further use of its operation as a propaganda tool by Al Qaeda and its ilk.” (“Defense,” Joe Sestak Democrat For Senate (2010), Accessed 2/24/15)
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In 2009, Sestak 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, Sestak Voted Nay)
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Sestak Also 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, Sestak Voted Nay)
- In 2009, Sestak Voted Twice Against Barring Funds From Being Used To Close Guantanamo Bay. (H.R. 2847, CQ Vote #360: Rejected In Committee Of The Whole 212-216: R 172-3; D 40-213, 6/18/09, Sestak Voted Nay; H.R. 2847, CQ Vote #361: Rejected 212-213: R 173-2; D 39-211, 6/18/09, Sestak Voted Nay)