Franks Statement for Markup of Gitmo Resolution of Inquiry

Congressman Franks Statement for Markup of Gitmo Resolution of Inquiry

10 Months After Gitmo Decision, Administration has Failed to Give a Good Reason or Produce a Coherent Plan

December 15, 2009 - Congressman Trent Franks (AZ-02) gave the following statement today during the markup of H.R. 924, a Resolution of Inquiry which would force the Department of Defense to provide all information that refers or relates to the trial or detention of the terrorists responsible for the September 11th terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon:

“As my colleagues have already stated, we had a closed briefing on this matter and the witnesses were utterly incapable of answering two simple questions: First, why did the administration decided to do this? And second, what are the national security implications of this decision?

"The President and Administration continue to cobble together piecemeal national security decisions based on political whim, without having a strategy to implement them or even a good explanation.

"This Committee has a responsibility to conduct thorough oversight of this matter.

"We owe it to the families of those who were killed on 911, to the people of New York City, and to the people of Illinois, who will now, thanks to this President, share a neighborhood with the mastermind of September 11th.

"It is for this reason that I fully support this resolution of inquiry and I oppose any substitute offered by the Majority. I yield back the balance of my time.”

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Congressman Franks is serving his fourth term in the U.S. House of Representatives, and is a member of the Committee on Armed Services, Strategic Forces Subcommittee, Oversight & Investigations Subcommittee, Military Readiness Subcommittee, Committee on the Judiciary, Constitution Subcommittee, and is Ranking Member on the Subcommittee on Commercial and Administrative Law.