Griffin Seeks to Work with President on Guantanamo

Congressman Tim Griffin (AR-02), a member of the House Armed Services Committee, today issued the following statement regarding the Executive Order issued by President Obama on detainee policy at Guantanamo Bay:

 “In 2009, President Obama promised to work with Congress ‘to develop an appropriate legal regime’ to detain and try terror suspects in Guantanamo Bay. Today’s Executive Order ignores that promise and repeats the mistakes of the previous White House when it chose to determine how to detain and try terror suspects on its own. While I am pleased to see military commissions restarted, the President is not fulfilling his promise of working with Congress.

 “Congress has an important role in determining and authorizing detainee policy. I look forward to working with my colleagues on the House Armed Services Committee to craft a policy that addresses current and future terror suspects housed at Guantanamo Bay while standing up to judicial scrutiny.”