FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Contact:
Michael A Zachariades
Michael@MilitaryFamiliesUnited.org
(202) 510-5304

 

Washington, DC – Kirk Lippold, the former Commander of the USS Cole and the Senior Military Fellow at Military Families United (MFU), the nation’s leading military family and national security advocacy organization, released the following statement concerning the recent reports that that Congress had denied funds for the relocation of the prison at Guantanamo Bay (GITMO), Cuba to the Thomson Correctional Center in Illinois:

“The Obama Administration's attempts to quietly insert funding for their new ‘GITMO North’ prison have failed again because of bipartisan opposition. For the second time this year both Republicans and Democrats have firmly rejected the blatant political maneuvering by the Administration to fund the closing of Guantanamo Bay by attaching funds to a defense bill. It should surprise no one that the Obama Administration’s obfuscation and lack of transparency on Guantanamo Bay have come to undermine their credibility with officials from both parties and with the public as a whole.

Almost one year later, the Administration has announced no public plan and has laid out no comprehensive policy for Guantanamo Bay. However, President Obama continues to try to use public money to close the modern facilities at Guantanamo Bay and bring terrorists to the United States. Since the Administration has yet to develop a plan for closing Guantanamo Bay, there is no procedure on how to deal with classified evidence, how to guard against civil trials from becoming a platform for propaganda, and the continuing legal issues regarding the chain of custody or detention. It is unfortunate that the Administration has tried to manipulate the budget process without articulating a coherent and comprehensive plan for Guantanamo Bay to the American people. Thankfully Congress understands the importance of this national security issue and has once again prevented the administration from funding it without a plan in place.

During this challenging national security and economic period, the American people deserve better from their President and his Administration.”

CDR Kirk S. Lippold, USN (Ret.) was the Commanding Officer of USS Cole when it was attacked by al Qaeda terrorists in October 2000. CDR Lippold, who served on the Joint Chiefs of Staff crafting detainee policy in the initial stages of the war on terror, met with the President in February and with DOJ in June to discuss the closure of Guantanamo Bay.

 

About Military Families United
Military Families United (MFU) serves as the nation’s leading military family advocacy organization, representing the interests and values of those who sacrifice for our security and our freedom: America’s troops and their families. MFU gives America’s military families a voice in the national conversation on military, national security and other public policy issues through our outreach to media, government, and the general public. We seek to communicate the truth about our brave men and women in uniform and their mission to protect our freedom.