Ayotte Responds to President Obama's Comments in Laos on Closing Guantanamo

Statement

U.S. Senator Kelly Ayotte today released the following statement responding to comments that President Barack Obama made in Laos reaffirming his desire to close Guantanamo Bay:

"The security of Americans, not a misguided campaign promise, should guide decisions related to Guantanamo-and the simple fact is that President Obama can't close the detention facility there and bring the remaining detainees to the U.S. without violating the law and making Americans less safe. As the President repeats red herrings about the cost of Guantanamo and its role in radicalizing terrorists, I will continue to fight to keep this facility open and keep our country safe," said Senator Ayotte.

Senator Ayotte has been a leader in pushing for a common-sense terrorist detention policy to protect our country, opposing plans to empty and close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, and fighting for more transparency from the administration. She has consistently led efforts to prevent the administration from bringing Guantanamo detainees to the United States. Ayotte continued her efforts this year with her legislation to permanently ban the transfer of detainees to the United States and suspend international releases.

In August, Ayotte released an unclassified report she obtained from the Department of Defense detailing the terrorist activities and affiliations of Guantanamo detainees. In releasing that report, she noted that 93% of the detainees who remained at Guantanamo Bay as of late last year had been assessed as a high risk for a return to terrorism, underscoring the need to keep the facility open to prevent terrorists from returning to the battlefield and to gather the intelligence necessary to prevent future attacks.

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