DOJ Says NY Terror Trials Still Under Consideration

By Jeralyn, Section Terror Trials
Posted on Tue Feb 02, 2010 at 01:24:00 PM EST
Tags: 9-11 trials (all tags)

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Acting Deputy Attorney General Gary Grindler today said the Justice Department has not made a decision about holding the trials of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and the other alleged 9/11 co-conspirators in New York. He denied New York is out of consideration. He said DOJ remains committed to a trial in a federal criminal court.

"We haven't made a final decision and it's not off the table," Grindler said during a briefing Monday. Grindler said U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder was committed to the trial being conducted in federal court rather than before a military commission, as several lawmakers have argued.

"Our federal courts have a long history of safely and securely handling international terrorism cases and we are committed to bringing Khalid Sheik Mohammed and the other alleged Sept. 11 conspirators to justice," Grindler said.

That's good news. Obama and Holder need to stick to their promises on this one and bring these cases in federal criminal courts, which are more than capable of safely conducting them.

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DOJ Says NY Terror Trials Still Under Consideration | 27 comments (27 topical)

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why do these republicans hate the Reagan (5.00 / 1) (#4)
by jeffinalabama on Tue Feb 02, 2010 at 02:55:58 PM EST

Legacy?

Reagan wanted to charge and try terrorists with crimes. He wanted to frame terrorists as criminals.

: Clancy, too (none / 0) (#9)
by ricosuave on Tue Feb 02, 2010 at 03:58:57 PM EST

That was one of the big points he made Patriot Games, if my memory serves. That was the Ryan vs. the IRA book. If you haven't read them, the early books were enjoyable adventures, but they were also very much in the realm of right-wing fantasy. In this book, Clancy waxed poetic about how the British treated the IRA guys as criminals in court.
Of course, the book also goes straight for the plot of "world is saved by ordinary guy unleashing horrific levels of violence on bad people who clearly deserve it," so if that is not your bag, don't read it.
But, sadly, the right has managed to frame "the terrorists" on the level of the Legion of Doom for most Americans--supercriminals who can't be held in ordinary jails and who are so clever they will run circles around our daft prosecutors. If the same prosecutors who couldn't manage to make a case against anyone from Enron, the mortgage industry, Wall Street, the Republican K-Street project, or the credit card industry are in charge of these prosecutions, then perhaps the scardey-cat right-wingers are correct here...

: Reagan was on to something... (none / 0) (#13)
by kdog on Tue Feb 02, 2010 at 04:43:38 PM EST

treating accused mass-murderers as enemy combatants gives their beliefs and actions legitimacy they do not deserve.
Though if such thinking were to be applied fairly Reagan woulda been on trial, followed by Bush I, Clinton, Bush II, and Obama...so much for that.

today intel chief says... (2.00 / 0) (#21)
by diogenes on Tue Feb 02, 2010 at 10:41:48 PM EST

Didn't an intel guy say today that an Al-Qaida attack on American soil was "likely" in the next three to six months?
If Obama and Holder force the trial to be in NY City and the "likely" attack happens there, I suspect that the NY senate seat will go the way of the Massachusetts seat, and perhaps the whole senate will swing.
Maybe I should change my screen name to Cassandra.

If McCain et al get their way (none / 0) (#1)
by jbindc on Tue Feb 02, 2010 at 02:46:27 PM EST

The DoJ may not be the ones making the decision

Probably posturing, but he may be right.

Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) said that he expects to win a floor vote on blocking funds for terrorists' civilian trials.
Speaking alongside seven other co-sponsors of the bill, McCain told reporters that his side has the votes to force Obama to change his policy.
"I believe we can win, this time, a vote on the floor of the U.S. Senate," he said.

Oh Johnny... (none / 0) (#5)
by kdog on Tue Feb 02, 2010 at 03:06:36 PM EST

does he realize that if we don't try him we are supposed to let him go?

Oh that's right, the rules only apply to us...pay no mind.


KSM (none / 0) (#6)
by jbindc on Tue Feb 02, 2010 at 03:28:07 PM EST

is never going anywhere - no matter what.


Exactly... (none / 0) (#8)
by kdog on Tue Feb 02, 2010 at 03:36:45 PM EST

which makes me real nervous about the precedent they are trying to set here playing fast and loose with the rules meant to protect us from the law. Just try him downtown and send him to Supermax...we all know we've got a charade goin' here, get it over with!

McCain must be worried about the justice wing taking their job seriously...all I can think of for the opposition to the trial...that and just the usual politics of paint Team D as 'soft on x'.


Patriot act drug prosecutions (none / 0) (#10)
by ricosuave on Tue Feb 02, 2010 at 04:03:30 PM EST

Didn't we just see a bunch of stories about how patriot act methods were used in drug prosecutions? Where are all the posse comitatus nutcases who couldn't shut up about Waco all through the 90s? Is there anything more "big government" or "jackbooted thugs" (to quote the republicans of 15 years ago) than ceding law enforcement and justice to the military?


: Waco is in... (none / 0) (#14)
by kdog on Tue Feb 02, 2010 at 04:46:49 PM EST

the tribal regions in AfPak now, populated by muslim whackjobs as opposed to christian whackjobs...so its all good.
The anti-war left is no better really...when Team R/D respectively are in charge their fans shut up, only to get loud again when they lose the intercontinental belt to Team D/R respectively.

McConnell (none / 0) (#2)
by jbindc on Tue Feb 02, 2010 at 02:51:48 PM EST

is making noise too.

The Obama administration will change it's policy of trying suspected terrorists in federal courts, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) predicted today.
"I think the administration is going to retreat here," McConnell told reporters. "Just because people in New York said we don't want them here, I hope they don't think there's any

: Oops -rest of the quote (none / 0) (#3)
by jbindc on Tue Feb 02, 2010 at 02:52:16 PM EST

I think the administration is going to retreat here," McConnell told reporters. "Just because people in New York said we don't want them here, I hope they don't think there's any other part of the country that's clamoring to have terrorist trials."

Fear of exposure (none / 0) (#7)
by mmc9431 on Tue Feb 02, 2010 at 03:29:56 PM EST

Maybe the bigger fear for those in DC is that a trial will bring the conduct of our government back into the limelight.

So far Bush and company have been able to walk away from it all as heroes to many. Republicans, (with the help of Obama and several top ranking Democrats) have managed to minimalize any meaningful investigations.

This might not be as easy to do in an open federal court.

Do the trials in New York (