Inhofe Statement on Obama Administration's Largest Transfer of Gitmo Detainees

Statement

U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), senior member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, released the following statement today regarding the Obama administration's announcement that it has facilitated its single-largest transfer of terrorist detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba:

"The Obama administration's decision to facilitate its largest transfer of Gitmo detainees is about one thing only -- garnishing the legacy of an outgoing president. This is not about advancing the United States' national security. It is not made with strategic consideration of a nation at war with radical terrorists. And it is not about upholding the rule of law when the president breaks the law in order to empty out the facility. In 2010, the president's own Guantanamo Review Task Force found that half of those being transferred to the UAE were considered "high risk' and too dangerous to be transferred. Since that report, the world has only become more dangerous due to the transmutation of radical terrorism, to the point that the Obama administration is maintaining a troop presence in Afghanistan, has returned to Iraq with a growing count of 5,000 U.S. service members and hundreds more contractors, and has increased counterterrorism operations to Syria, Africa and Asia. Just as concerning, around 30 percent of former detainees are suspected or confirmed of returning to the fight, according to U.S. intelligence.

"If the president is unashamedly working to close Gitmo, then he should fully and openly communicate to the public who these terrorists are and the justification for their release. The Detainee Transfer Transparency Act would put an end to unnamed Obama administration sources in the media divulging these details and untie the hands of Members of Congress who are legally bound to keep this information classified. It would allow Americans to see the details and history of Gitmo detainees for themselves, and give them a greater voice with how the administration is handling enemy combatants while our country remains in a global war against terrorism."

On Monday, the Obama administration announced it would be transferring 15 detainees to the United Arab Emirates, bringing the total population at the Gitmo facility down to 61. There were 242 detainees at Guantanamo when the Obama administration first took office.

On April 13, Inhofe introduced the Detainee Transfer Transparency Act, legislation that would require the Secretary of Defense to make available to the public the intended transfer or release of detainees held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba at least 21 days in advance. Cosponsors at the time of introduction include Sens. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Johnny Isakson (R-Ga.), James Lankford (R-Okla.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.), John Thune (R-S.D.) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.).

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