Attorney General
who originally supported the plan, changed course this week. The city
contends that it will cost hundreds of millions of dollars to provide
security for a trial expected to run at least a year.
Rep.
“Good Morning America” that it is “a terrible idea to return the
mastermind of 9/11 to the scene of the worst terrorist attack in U.S.
history.”
The congressman suggested that some Democrats would join Republicans in legislation to block any
The issue also has generated new controversy over
the question of trying accused terrorists in military tribunals or in
federal courts. Rep.
The
mayor said on his weekly radio show Friday that he had spoken with
several “high-level” people in the administration and made his point
that the trial would be expensive and disruptive to Lower Manhattan. He
said the administration understands and is “trying to do something.”
Six senators have written in a letter to Holder that the planned trial in
“will be providing (the accused terrorists) one of the most visible
platforms in the world to exalt their past acts and to rally others in
support of further terrorism.”
Sens. Joe. Lieberman, I-Conn.;
signed the letter. The administration has maintained that the man often
referred to as KSM, the accused mastermind of the 9-11 attacks, and
alleged accomplices can be tried safely at the federal facility in
“The president is committed to seeing that he’s brought to justice,”
spokesman, said this week. “He agrees with the attorney general’s
opinion that … that he and others can be litigated successfully and
securely in
federal jails hold hundreds of convicted terrorists, and the
president’s opinion has not changed on that.”
—
(c)2010, Tribune Co.
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.