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Biden Signs Massive $770 Billion Defense Bill To Increase Spending For Most Parts Of Military


Reported by SHELBY TALCOTT | SENIOR WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT | December 28, 2021

Read more at https://dailycaller.com/2021/12/28/joe-biden-defense-bill-military/

President Joe Biden signed the National Defense Authorization Act on Monday. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)
Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images

President Joe Biden signed a $770 billion defense bill on Monday that marks an increase in spending in almost every faction of the military. The $770 billion National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) ended up being $24 billion more than Biden asked for, according to The New York Times. It passed both the House and Senate with bipartisan support in December, though it did face some opposition from certain Republican and Democratic lawmakers.

The NDAA increased spending aimed at helping Ukraine defend itself, countering military expansion in China and obtaining more advanced aircraft and ships, according to the NYT. The Biden administration previously identified China as a “top challenge” while making the budget proposal.

“The discretionary request prioritizes the need to counter the threat from China as the Department’s top challenge. The Department would also seek to deter destabilizing behavior by Russia,” Biden’s budget request, issued in April and asking for $715 billion, reads. 

The agreed-upon NDAA also increases pay for more service members by 2.7% – a provision that was overwhelmingly bipartisan, even garnering the support of lawmakers who ultimately voted against passing the NDAA in the House.

“The Act authorizes fiscal year appropriations principally for the Department of Defense, for Department of Energy national security programs, and for the Department of State,” Biden said in a statement on Monday following the bill’s signing. “The Act provides vital benefits and enhances access to justice for military personnel and their families and includes critical authorities to support our country’s national defense.”

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 27: U.S. President Joe Biden walks to speak with reporters on the South Lawn before departing from the White House on Marine One on December 27, 2021 in Washington, DC. President Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden are traveling to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware for the New Year's holiday. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC – DECEMBER 27: U.S. President Joe Biden walks to speak with reporters on the South Lawn before departing from the White House on Marine One on December 27, 2021 in Washington, DC. President Biden and First Lady Dr. Jill Biden are traveling to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware for the New Year’s holiday. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

The president criticized various portions of the bill in a statement following its signing. Some were relating to Guantanamo Bay, with Biden calling it unfortunate that one section “continues to bar the use of funds to transfer Guantanamo Bay detainees to the custody or effective control of certain foreign countries.” He also called out a second portion of the bill that “bars the use of funds to transfer Guantanamo Bay detainees into the United States unless certain conditions are met.”

“It is the longstanding position of the executive branch that these provisions unduly impair the ability of the executive branch to determine when and where to prosecute Guantanamo Bay detainees and where to send them upon release,” Biden argued.

Still, the NDAA, which covers the fiscal year 2022, includes some marked changes. One agreement included in the bill will overhaul how the military handles internal criminal investigations, according to the NYT. Now, military commanders will lose much of the previous authority they had to prosecute sexual assault cases, for example. They’ll often be replaced by independent military prosecutors. In another new move, sexual harassment in the military will now be criminalized under the Uniform Code of Military Justice. Independent investigation will also be required for crimes such as kidnapping and murder. Lawmakers praised the bill as transformative.

“These reforms, which are supported by longstanding advocates for survivors of the sexual assault crisis in the military, will take the prosecution of all sex crimes in the military away from the control of the military commander,” Democratic Washington Rep. Adam Smith said, according to the NYT. “Instead, qualified, independent, uniformed attorneys — ultimately overseen by the civilian service secretaries — will have the sole authority for charging decisions and the responsibility to prosecute those charges.”

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Law Firms That Raced To Defend Terrorists In Gitmo Leave Jan. 6 Defendants Out To Dry


Reported By Allison Schuster | OCTOBER 26, 2021

Read more at https://thefederalist.com/2021/10/26/law-firms-that-raced-to-defend-terrorists-in-gitmo-leave-j6-defendants-out-to-dry/

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At least 50 high-powered law firms that went out of their way to defend foreign terrorists in Guantanamo Bay free of charge are nowhere to be found as hundreds of American citizens languish in prison for charges related to entering the U.S. Capitol building during the January 6 riot.

When foreign terrorists, including the accused mastermind who helped plan the 9/11 attack, were being held in the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp, law firms from across the country volunteered to represent them pro bono. Now, nearly 600 Americans face an intense legal battle over their participation in the events of January 6, and these same firms are leaving them defenseless. Not one of the legal firms that assisted Gitmo terrorists have helped any of those charged with ties to January 6.

In 2009, the American Civil Liberties Union went so far as to create an entire group of lawyers ready to defend Gitmo detainees under the John Adams Project, to show their dedication to ensuring all have a top-notch defense.

John Adams, whose patriotism was proven in his instrumental legal role in helping found the American republic, defended British soldiers after the Boston Massacre in an American courtroom. Although undoubtedly a revolutionary hero, Adams felt convicted that the judicial system cannot be just if everyone doesn’t receive a quality defense. With popular opinion so staunchly against the soldiers, Adams risked his reputation to uphold this principle.

Attorney Steve Schaefer explained to me that a strong legal defense for all accused of crimes is necessary, as it is the only way to reveal the truth of what occurred before the court. If the facts don’t come to light, the American justice system is in jeopardy, as people are at the will of an arbitrary power. Schaefer said, that causes Americans to lose trust in the American experiment, so the importance of quality representation prior to adjudication in court can’t be overstated.

“It’s indispensable to have to have a strong advocacy on behalf of criminal defendants — even if the allegations are unsavory — because our entire process hinges on a protection of the citizen and that the government has to meet the highest burden, which is beyond a reasonable doubt, in order to convict them of a crime,” Schaefer said.

Without a strong criminal defense, the government can take away individual rights without a clear demonstration of the guilt of the accused. The firms who trumpeted the right to a strong defense for everyone charged in the American legal system when it came to Guantanamo Bay are well aware of the need for a competent defense for citizens today, yet they have not allocated any resources to an equal defense for some accused of crimes.

The law firm Wilmer and Hale told The New York Times in 2008 that establishing a proper defense for Gitmo detainees “was about as important as anything we could take on.”

Despite widespread allegations of prosecutorial zealotry and differing standards of prosecution for the January 6 rioters compared to the thousands of rioters across the nation in 2020 who besieged the White House, federal courthouses, police precincts, national symbols, and small businesses, no similar defense fund or coordination has been provided for those charged in the January 6 riot.

Julie Kelly, a reporter covering dozens of January 6 defendants since their cases began, said the majority of those who have been charged have no prior experience navigating the legal system. Few have been charged with any crime before in their lives and now must rely on government-provided public defenders because they can’t afford anyone else.

“We have a Gitmo in Washington D.C.,” Kelly told me. “We have a prison that has been used solely to house and detain men arrested and charged — not convicted, just charged with offenses — related to January 6.”

Some of the nonviolent defendants were so misinformed by the FBI that they thought they were being questioned to help them find violent offenders, all while the FBI was gathering evidence against those being questioned, she said.

“These people are being treated in court as domestic terrorists. Dozens of them are held under pre-trial detention orders, which means they don’t even have a chance to make bail,” Kelly noted. “They are considered too dangerous to be let out of jail, awaiting trials which won’t start until the middle of next year at the earliest.”

Capitol rioter Paul Hodgkins’ prosecutor referred to him as a domestic terrorist in his sentencing, and FBI Director Christopher Wray has designated January 6 an act of domestic terrorism. Many who didn’t even know they were doing anything wrong, entering the Capitol as police opened doors for them, face detrimental charges threatening to turn them into convicted felons, revoking their right to vote and to own a gun for the rest of their lives.

While corporate media and other establishment institutions have long encouraged pro-bono legal representation of those held at Gitmo, they have discouraged it for those charged in the January 6 riot. Media and political figures argue those charged in the riot were violent insurrectionists seeking to overthrow the government. However, not a single person at the riot has been charged with inciting insurrection. They have instead been charged with obstruction of an official proceeding, which is the felony charge that the government is adding to mostly misdemeanor cases of trespassing.

The vast majority of those charged with ties to January 6 carried no weapons, harmed no one, vandalized nothing, and stole nothing, according to Kelly. Most walked through the capitol against no resistance at 2:40 p.m., took a selfie, and were out by 3 p.m. These defendants are also being tried in front of a jury in Washington, D.C., a city where more than 92 percent of the voters voted to elect Joe Biden last November.

Civil liberties advocates say the treatment of January 6 defendants reveals an alarming threat to American jurisprudence. Some blame intimidation from well-funded leftist groups for the lack of a competent defense. Lawyers who do exert effort in providing such a defense have been harrassed.

According to NPR, attorney Nabeel Kibria represented one of the first defendants in the investigation to plead guilty, after which point Kibria began facing attacks and death threats 48 hours after her client’s plea deal “from people … who you would think were on a whole different spectrum than what the Bustles [a married couple on trial] are in terms of political ideology or the people of the January 6 riots.”

Firms that consider themselves advocates for the least among us fail to uphold their convictions by abandoning people like Hodgkins. The system of justice that exists in this country, outlined in the Constitution in no uncertain terms, requires a strong defense.

“It is extremely frustrating and heartbreaking to see the Beltway’s legal and judicial system so heavily stacked against these people who have no means to defend themselves,” Kelly said. “And you have no lawyers on the right willing to step up and take these cases either pro bono, or even low bono, to help these people.”

One thing is clear: Those on the left put a lot of work into defending Afghan terrorists a decade ago, touting the need for providing a quality legal defense to those who were least likely to have quality, willing representation. Now, in the hour of need for Americans charged with much lesser crimes than mass murder, the same firms remain silent.

Allison Schuster is a research assistant for Hillsdale College in DC and a 2021 Hillsdale graduate, as well as a former intern for The Federalist. Follow her on Twitter @allisonshoestor.

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9/11 Mastermind, 4 Co-Conspirators Still Awaiting Trial 18 Years Since Attacks


Reported by Edwin Mora | 

URL of the original posting site: https://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2019/09/11/9-11-mastermind-4-co-conspirators-still-awaiting-trial-18-years-since-attacks/

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, 911 mastermind, was allowed to build a vacuum will in a secret CIA prison in Romania keep him from going nuts. / HO/AFP/Getty Images

The death penalty trial of the self-proclaimed 9/11 mastermind and his four co-conspirators held at the U.S. military prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, is still pending nearly two decades after the jihadis executed the attack, the deadliest on American soil.

In an unprecedented move, however, the judge overseeing the military tribunal at Gitmo finally set a date at the end of last month for the start of the trial for the five defendants.

On August 30, U.S. Air Force Col. Shane Cohen, who took over as the judge overseeing the case in June, said the trial would begin January 11, 2021, as the nation approaches the 20th anniversary of the day that triggered the longest war in American history.

The United States invaded Afghanistan in October 2001 to remove the Taliban from power for harboring the late al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in the days leading to the attack and prevent the South Asian country from again becoming a haven for terrorists seeking to attack America.

Afghanistan is now home to the “highest regional concentration” of terrorist groups in the world, including the Taliban, al-Qaeda, and the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL), the Pentagon reported in July.

Pre-trial hearings for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM) and the four other men alleged to have played vital roles in helping carry out the massacre on September 11, 2001, resumed Monday.

As the U.S. holds another memorial service Wednesday for the nearly 3,000 people killed by al-Qaeda 18 years ago, the five defendants will still be awaiting trial.

KSM and his co-conspirators — Walid Muhammad Bin Attash, Ramzi Bin Al Shibh, Ali Abdul-Aziz Ali, and Mustafa Ahmed Al Hawsawi — could face the death penalty.

The U.S. is still holding the five terrorists at the detention facility in Guantánamo, commonly known as Gitmo.

U.S. authorities did not arraign KSM and his four co-conspirators until May 2012, more than a decade after the attacks. American service-members captured KSM in 2003 and transferee him to Gitmo in 2006.

The military commission at Gitmo has repeatedly delayed the prospective trial of the 9/11 perpetrators in U.S. custody.

In setting the trial date, Judge Cohen acknowledged that the U.S. military base at Guantánamo “will face a host of administrative and logistics challenges,” the Military Times reported.

National Public Radio (NPR) added:

[A] number of other deadlines would need to be met for the long-delayed trial to begin.
That includes the U.S. government turning over all evidence it is required to give to defense attorneys. Lawyers for the five defendants say prosecutors have not been forthcoming.
Several defense attorneys told NPR they think the scheduled trial date is unrealistic, and they say Guantánamo isn’t physically ready for a trial of that magnitude. But prosecutors have been asking for a trial date for several years and say that finally having one will motivate all parties to meet the deadline.

The tribunal overseeing the case of the 9/11 attackers is a hybrid of the federal and military justice system.

This week, the German news agency Deutsche Presse-Agentur (DPA) revealed:

Crucial pre-trial hearings for the accused mastermind of the September 11, 2001 attacks and four other men alleged to have played key roles in helping carry out the passenger plane hijackings will resume on Monday (September 9) in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba
…
[KSM], who confessed to being involved in the capture and murder of Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl, was subjected to extensive torture and was waterboarded 183 times.
The procedure simulates a drowning experience.
Lawyers for the defense are arguing that any confessions or other material should be invalidated because of the torture and are likely to file motions to have the entire trial set aside.

Gitmo is still housing 40 jihadis, the majority of whom are considered “forever prisoners,” or too dangerous to release.

U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration has only transferred one detainee out of the facility. Former U.S. President Barack Obama had approved the prisoner for release.

The Trump administration is considering sending newly captured terrorists to the prison, particularly the Islamic State (ISIS/ISIL) jihadis.

Citing the slow-moving pace of the military commissions and the cost of operating Gitmo, critics continue to argue in favor of allowing civilian courts on U.S. soil to handle the remaining cases.

U.S. law approved under the Obama administration, however, makes it impossible to transfer any Guantánamo prisoner to the United States.

Gitmo’s military tribunals have only produced eight convictions, including four overturned completely and one partially.

KSM and the other four defendants are among the only seven prisoners still held at Gitmo who face charges before a “military commission.”

Of the four overturned convictions, the military commission will have to deal with three. The other prisoner has appealed his life sentence to the U.S. Supreme Court.

U.S. authorities only charged 16 detainees held at G with criminal offenses, Human Rights Watch reported.

Yemenis make up the single largest national group at the prison, followed by Saudis.

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Report: Obama to Free Gitmo Detainees Who Have Vowed to Behead Americans


waving flagAuthored by Edwin Mora / 5 Jan 2017

URL of the original posting site: http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2017/01/05/report-obama-mass-transfer-gitmo-detainees-threatened-behead-bomb-americans/

Islamic

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President Barack Obama plans to transfer out at least 22 of the 59 detainees who remain at the U.S. military prison in Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, by the time he leaves the White House, a move that will liberate jihadists who have threatened to behead and bomb Americans, the Daily Mail has learned.

In recent weeks, the number of detainees who are expected to be set free by the end of Obama’s tenure on January 20 has varied by news agencies from 17 to 19. Earlier this week, the White House responded to incoming President Donald Trump’s urging to stop transferring prisoners out of Guantánamo, saying it plans to liberate more detainees before Obama leaves office.

The Obama administration reportedly told Congress last month that the sitting president would reduce the population of Guantánamo, also known as Gitmo, by 19 to 40 detainees.

Now, the Daily Mail reports:

muslim-obama

Image added by WjhatDidYouSay.org

President Obama is planning to transfer at least 22 additional Guantanamo Bay detainees out of the military detention center before he leaves office later this month, DailyMail.com has learned.

The group being released will be drawn from those held at Guantanamo – who include an accused senior al Qaeda bomb-maker, the terror group’s top financial manager, and two intended 9/11 hijackers, who have all been held in the Cuba-based U.S. detention facility for more than a decade

U.S. transfers 15 Guantanamo detainees to United Arab Emirates

obama-muslim-2-610x400

Image added by WhatDidYouSay.org

Of the 59 prisoners still held at Gitmo, 22 have been cleared for release by Obama’s multi-agency parole-style board known as the Periodic Review Board (PRB) and nearly half (27) are considered “forever prisoners,” or too dangerous to release.

However, the PRB has made the decision to liberate prisoners who had already been designated too dangerous to release, which means the “forever prisoner” designation has not prevented the Obama administration from transferring out detainees.

According to the Miami Herald, the remaining 10 prisoners are still undergoing war crimes proceedings at military commissions, including six who are facing death penalty tribunals.

The Daily Mail reports:

The list of “recommended for transfer” prisoners includes a number of top al Qaeda operatives and commanders

[…]

obama-defending-muslims-two

Image added by WhatDidYouSay.org

Some of the recommended transfers have also vowed to return to jihad if they are ever released, according to reports from US military officials. They have also threatened to assassinate the U.S. president, kill American citizens, and attack other world leaders who are allied with the West.

At least four countries — including Italy, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, and Saudi Arabia — are expected to take in some of the 19 prisoners who are expected to be transferred by January 20.

On Wednesday, Reuters reports that Obama will transfer four prisoners to Saudi Arabia in the next 24 hours.

The Daily Mail notes:

Fifty-nine enemy combatants in total still remain at Guantanamo, including terror “mastermind” Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, two of the “20th hijackers” for the 9/11 attacks, and the strategists behind the USS Cole bombing of 2000.

The group includes al Qaeda henchmen from around the world who are trained in lethal military tactics – ranging from sniper assassins and rocket-propelled grenade operators, to explosives and chemical weapons experts.

against America

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According to the latest estimate by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), three out of every 10 Guantánamo detainees who have been released under both Presidents Obama and George W. Bush are suspected or confirmed to have re-engaged in terrorist activities. Some of the liberated prisoners are believed to have American blood on their hands.

The Daily Mail points out, “Some released detainees have gone back into terrorism. Four of the senior leaders in al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) are former Guantanamo Bay detainees that were transferred to Saudi Arabia or Sudan.”Oh good

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Wealthy Gitmo Detainee With Family Ties To Bin Laden RELEASED To Saudi Arabia


waving flagPosted by Photo of Jonah Bennett Jonah Bennett, Reporter / 09/23/2015

URL of the original posting site: http://dailycaller.com/2015/09/23/bin-laden-bodyguard-released-from-gitmo-to-saudi-arabia

A Public Affairs Officer escorts media through the currently closed Camp X-Ray which was the first detention facility to hold

against AmericaAbdul Shalabi, a Guantanamo detainee and former bodyguard of Osama bin Laden, was just released to Saudi Arabia, bringing the total number of detainees in the prison down to 114. This is the second transfer in under a week. Last week, the Department of Defense announced the release of Younis Abdurrahman Chekkouri to Morocco.

“The United States is grateful to the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for its willingness to support ongoing U.S. efforts to close the muslim-obamaGuantanamo Bay detention facility. The United States coordinated with the government of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to ensure this transfer took place consistent with appropriate security and humane treatment measures,” the Defense Department said in a statement.

A detainee assessment from 2008 found that 39-year-old Shalabi, who comes from a wealthy and educated family, not only served as bin Laden’s bodyguard, but also has familial ties to the bin Laden family. Shalabi belonged to al-Qaida and was part of an aborted component of the September 11 attacks. But Shalabi consistently denied involvement and claimed to be a religious teacher.

On December 15, 2001, Pakistani authorities captured Shalabi along with 31 other al-Qaida fighters, who were fleeing from Tora Bora, Osama bin Laden’s mountain complex.

Near the end of December, authorities transferred Shalabi over to U.S. custody, who then was sent to Guantanamo Bay in Cuba, where he stayed for 13 years.

At the time, the assessment determined Shalabi was too dangerous to release, but the board changed its mind in June, clearing him for release.

“The board also considered the detainee’s well-established family, their willingness and ability to support him upon his return, and their prior success in assisting with the rehabilitation and reintegration of a former Guantánamo detainee,” the review panel said.

There are 52 detainees left who have been cleared for release. The rest require further detention. President Barack Obama still wants to close the prison before his term is up, and so the Pentagon has investigated domestic facilities to hold detainees in the long-term if the administration manages to shutter Gitmo.Islam is NOT95b119e45c50cbea1e7a4fbfa33415f3 In God We Trust freedom combo 2

 

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CNN: Intercepted Radio Chatter Indicated Bergdahl Sought Contact With Taliban


http://townhall.com/tipsheet/guybenson/2014/06/04/cnn-radio-chatter-indicates-bergdahl-sought-contract-with-the-taliban-n1847233

Guy Benson | Jun 04, 2014

Guy Benson

CNN landed the interview, but the dramatic allegation comes from Sgt. Evan Buetow — Bowe Bergdahl’s team leader. To briefly recap what we’ve learned today, according to Fox News, “many” US intelligence officials have harbored concerns that Bergdahl may have “actively collaborated” with the Taliban enemy. The New York Times and Fox both published scoops regarding Bergdahl’s desertion note, which may have suggested (whatever that means) a desire to abandon his American citizenship. And now this:

Within days of his disappearance, says Buetow, teams monitoring radio chatter and cell phone communications intercepted an alarming message: The American is in Yahya Khel (a village two miles away). He’s looking for someone who speaks English so he can talk to the Taliban. “I heard it straight from the interpreter’s lips as he heard it over the radio,” said Buetow. “There’s a lot more to this story than a soldier walking away.” … “For 60 days or more, I remember, just straight, all we did was search for Bergdahl,” said Buetow, “essentially chasing a ghost because we never came up with anything.” At least six soldiers were killed in subsequent searches for him, according to soldiers involved in those operations…Many soldiers in Bergdahl’s platoon said attacks seemed to increase against the United States in Paktika province in the days and weeks following his disappearance. “Following his disappearance, IEDs started going off directly under the trucks. They were getting perfect hits every time. Their ambushes were very calculated, very methodical,” said Buetow. It was “very suspicious,” says Buetow, noting that Bergdahl knew sensitive information about the movement of U.S. trucks, the weaponry on those trucks, and how soldiers would react to attacks. “We were incredibly worried” that Bergdahl was giving up information, either under torture, or otherwise, says Buetow.

“Honor and distinction.” This is deadly serious stuff, literally. Bergdahl’s unit leader on the night he evidently deserted claims that intercepted communications from shortly after Bergdahl’s disappearance indicated that he may have been proactively seeking out the Taliban. The kindest explanation is that Bergdahl was already being held against his will in some fashion and was desperate to communicate with his captors as a means of self-preservation. But it’s pretty clear that Buetow doesn’t believe that. He takes things a step further, theorizing that Bergdahl may have lent his expertise to the enemy in order to improve the effectiveness of their ambushes and IEDs. If your instinct is to wave that theory away as extreme, consider two factors: (1) Wikileaks cables appear to corroborate a major part of Buetow’s account, and (2) the UK Daily Mail printed this all the way back in 2010:

A captured American soldier is training Taliban fighters bomb-making and ambush skills, according to one of his captors and Afghan intelligence officials. Private Bowe Bergdahl disappeared in June 2009 while based in eastern Afghanistan and is thought to be the only U.S. serviceman in captivity. The 24-year-old has converted to Islam and now has the Muslim name Abdullah, one of his captors told The Sunday Times.

In a vacuum, I wouldn’t necessarily put too much stock in the word of the Taliban, or Afghan intelligence officials. But now we have Buetow’s accusations to add into the equation, and people on both sides of this conflict have told a hauntingly similar story. These fears look more realistic than ever. The president must have known Bergdahl’s case was a minefield, but some combination of arrogance and tone-deafness led him to disregard internal concerns from the defense and intel communities, and to convince himself that this news would be met with euphoric celebrations. In case you were curious, Obama is “unapologetic” over the decision, of course. The same can’t be said of many Senate Democrats who’ve suddenly gone, well, AWOL on this story. I wonder why. Could it be that unlawfully releasing five hardened Taliban commanders from US custody with loose (if any) security precautions in place in exchange for an apparent deserter and alleged enemy collaborator might be…politically toxic? As you know, I’ve been scratching my head over this whole thing for days now. Finally, some pieces seem to be falling into place. Between the “expected euphoria” report, the Guantanamo Bay closure experiment angle, and the crucial detail that Team Obama was reportedly itching to relieve themselves of these particular jihadists for some reason before Bergdahl became a hostage, I suspectAllahpunditmay be right on the money:

allah“Could this be President’s Obama attempt at empting GITMO in order to shut it down? Could he be depending on his Muslim buddies kidnapping Americans (anywhere) and holding them for GITMO detainees exchange? Sounds credible given President Obama’s conduct over the last 6 years. SORRY YET?” JB

The simple calculation came to a halt when the public, press, and Bergdahl’s former brothers didn’t react the way the White House anticipated.

Sorry YetRemember

HeartVOTE 02

 

 

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Hagel Hopes Terrorist Swap will Help ‘Peace Process,’ Taliban Laughs


http://www.tpnn.com/2014/06/02/hagel-hopes-terrorist-swap-will-help-peace-process-taliban-laughs/

June 2, 2014 By

Chuck-Hagel

This Administration is a joke. An absolute joke.

 
As a supposed defense of the decision to release five terrorists to gain one American who at best was a deserter and at worst was a Taliban sympathizer, Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel pointed to the release of these prisoners as hopeful sign that terrorist will now engage in the peace process. Really 01No, seriously, Really 01
 

They won’t. They’re terrorists.

 
The five high-ranking terrorists were held in Guantanamo Bay as they were “high-risk” terrorists who posed a threat to the United States. However, seemingly favoring a terrorist catch-and-release policy, the weakest administration in history traded the five terrorists in exchange for an American who had been held since 2009 after he deserted his post and wandered off into Afghanistan.
 
On Sunday, Hagel defended the decision on Meet the Press and claimed, “So maybe this will be a new opening that can produce an agreement” between the Taliban and the United States. 
“Maybe, just maybe if we give the terrorists what they want, they won’t hurt us.” This is the most cowardly foreign policy this nation has ever seen, and that includes Jimmy Carter.

Obama defending muslimsWithin hours of Hagel’s cowardly optimism, Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid dismissed Hagel’s belief that this will earn goodwill, saying, “It won’t help the peace process in any way, because we don’t believe in the peace process.”

 Again- they’re terrorists. That’s how this works.

 
It’s nothing new; the White House has been pleading, begging the Taliban and other terrorist organizations to negotiate. Repeatedly, the terrorists have refused, noting that they do not seek peace, but victory.
 

After the release of the five terrorists, Taliban emir Mullah Mohammed Omar hailed the release as a “great victory” for their cause and stated, “This huge accomplishment brings the glad tidings of liberation of the whole country and reassures us that our aspirations are on the verge of fulfillment.” 

Not only was this a remarkably stupid move that rewards terrorism, but we don’t even know what we got in return; all initial information about Sgt. Bergdahl seems to indicate that he was a defector who hated Americans.
 
If we are going to fight a war on terror, we should fight to win. What we have is a weak leader surrounded by weak advisers that advocate cowardice and appeasement as a means of making the rest of the world like us.  
Wake up America
Sorry Yet
VOTE 02

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