Fox News - Transcript
MS. SKINNER: President Obama signing just a few minutes ago an executive order closing the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba within the next year. He also is going to be setting up a task force to recommend new policies on the detainees who are held there, basically, what happens to them? Also, limits on interrogation tactics for the CIA.
Let's get to the leading Republican in the House of Representatives, Congressman John Boehner of Ohio joins us.
Congressman, good to see you.
REP. BOEHNER: Jane, good morning.
MS. SKINNER: Tell me your main objection to the closing of Gitmo.
REP. BOEHNER: My biggest concern is that they've determined they're going to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay without having a policy in place in terms of what to do with these detainees. I think we have to remember they're terrorists, and if you're not going to have them at Guantanamo, where are you going to house them? What rights are they going to have? And frankly, I don't know any Americans who want these terrorists housed at a detention facility in their backyard.
MS. SKINNER: The White House has just said that they think within 30 days, they can get these recommendations on what to do. Is that not a close enough timeline for you, quick enough timeline?
REP. BOEHNER: The concern is, really, what was expressed by President Bush last year when he said that he wanted to close Guantanamo, but they could never quite determine where to put these terrorists because if you bring them to the United States, they automatically have rights that they would not have otherwise. And so having a policy in place that says we're going to close Guantanamo without having a plan in place, I think is a dangerous step in the wrong direction.
MS. SKINNER: I know you met with White House counsel Greg Craig on this. What was his response to your concerns?
REP. BOEHNER: Well, they believe that this commission they're going to set up can resolve these questions and that they can move forward, but I think that's putting the horse before the cart and I would have hoped that they would have come up with these decisions about where they're going to house these terrorists before they make the ultimate decision we're just going to close Guantanamo.
MS. SKINNER: I think a lot of people, congressman, too, want to know today, so you close the facility and you limit the interrogations. What happens if we find Osama bin Laden? Where does he go?
REP. BOEHNER: Well, that's a question that was brought up last night when we were being briefed by the White House counsel, and at this point, no one would have an answer and that's why President Bush had this quandary about what to do with these detainees. There are about 61 prisoners that have been released that we have found back on the battlefield. And so there's a concern that if we release more of these terrorists that you're going to end up back on the battlefield and really pose harm to our soldiers around the world and could pose harm to the American people.
MS. SKINNER: Congressman, before I let you go, I do want to ask and we're just getting word that you and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi are invited to a meeting at the White House tomorrow with the president on this enormous $825 billion economic stimulus plan.
What will be your message you'll bring?
REP. BOEHNER: My concern is that it spends too much and it spends it too slowly. If you look at their plan, it ought to be about creating jobs in America and it ought to be about preserving jobs in America, and if you look at a lot of what the spending that they're calling for, it's a lot of big, bloated government programs that will take four or five years for the money to get back out into the economy.
We think that fast-acting tax relief to American families, small businesses, entrepreneurs and the self-employed is the best way to get our economy moving again.
MS. SKINNER: How confident are you that you'll be able to get some changes into that thing, I mean, in this environment, the cynic that I am, I guess, to say why bother objecting because the thing looks like it's going to pass.
REP. BOEHNER: The president has made it clear that he's interested in our ideas. He's also made it very clear that he wants a bipartisan process. He wants a bipartisan bill, and so, I think, he's sincere in his request that we work together and I'm going to do everything I can to work with him.
MS. SKINNER: Speaking of passing just in the last couple of minutes as I'm sure you know, Timothy Geithner, his Treasury Secretary nomination has passed out of committee. Your reaction?
REP. BOEHNER: Well, there have been some questions raised about these taxes that he should have known about, failed to pay. He's a highly qualified nominee to be the Treasury Secretary and I'm hopeful that the questions that have been posed by some of my Republican colleagues have been answered.
MS. SKINNER: Congressman John Boehner, House Minority Leader. Congressman, thanks for your time.
REP. BOEHNER: Jane, thanks.
END.