Miller: Obama Administration Must Gather Information To Protect Our Citizens - Not Offer Plea Deals To Terrorists

Press Release

U.S. Representative Candice Miller (MI-10), a member of the House Homeland Security Committee, today called the decision to treat terrorist Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab as a common criminal defendant unacceptable. Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian who attempted to murder hundreds of innocent Americans by igniting an explosive aboard Northwest flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit on Christmas Day, is currently being held as a criminal defendant in a federal facility in Michigan and has been extended the Constitutional right to remain silent. Rep. Miller reiterated the immediate need for the President to have the clear authority to treat all terrorists as enemy combatants regardless of where they are caught. Rep. Miller will introduce legislation to define this authority and direct the President to designate terrorists who attack Americans anywhere in the world as enemy combatants.

Representative Miller said:

"We Americans, particularly we who live in the Detroit area, were very fortunate to avoid a catastrophe on Christmas Day when Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab failed in his attempt to bring down Northwest flight 253 from Amsterdam to Detroit. While we are all thankful that this plan failed, we must be extremely concerned that this act of war against our nation came close to killing hundreds of our fellow Americans and must take the correct actions to make certain such an attack will not occur again.

"I am particularly concerned that the terrorist who attempted this attack now sits in a federal prison instead of being interrogated by American military and intelligence agencies to find out what he knows about any other planned attacks. Because the Obama Administration has decided that he will be tried in civilian federal court, Abdulmutallab has lawyered up and has been given the Constitutional right to remain silent. That is completely unacceptable.

"Abdulmutallab is not a common criminal, he is an enemy combatant. He was not captured on the battlefield in Afghanistan or Iraq. He brought the battlefield to seat 19-A of Northwest flight 253. The Obama Administration seems to believe that because Abdulmutallab's battlefield was on final approach to Detroit Metro Airport that he should be afforded the sacred rights of our Constitution. Now, instead of facing the most severe interrogation this administration will allow of captured enemy combatants to obtain information to protect our citizens, President Obama's Advisor for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism John O. Brennan has indicated that Abdulmutallab could be offered a plea deal in exchange for his cooperation. This is simply appalling.

"I have been calling on the President and his Administration to treat Abdulmutallab as an enemy combatant. He committed an act of war against our nation and should not be treated as a common criminal.

"I will introduce legislation to require the President to declare terrorists, such as Abdulmutallab, as enemy combatants, to subject such terrorists to the military justice system and the harshest interrogation methods the administration will allow, and deny Constitutional protections to which they are not entitled and do not deserve. The war on terror was brought right to our doorstep on Christmas Day and we have a responsibility to make certain that we take every action necessary to keep our nation safe."

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