House Rejects Bill That Would’ve Allowed Gitmo Transfers

Rep. Nadler Calls for Detainees to Face Actual Charges in Real Courts

In a 170-256 vote that was largely along party lines, the House of Representatives rejected a bill from Rep. Jerry Nadler (D – NY) that would’ve allowed the administration to resume the transfer of detainees from the Guantanamo Bay detention center.

The bill was an amendment to the upcoming Justice Department funding bill, which presently has a ban on using any money for transferring or releasing detainees, and would’ve aimed to remove that ban.

Rep. Nadler not only called for an end to the prohibition on transfers, but also on the removal of a provision banning detainees from being sent to the United States, this was also rejected, though the vote was not recorded (voice vote).

Nadler said it was time for the US to take detainees who had as of yet not been convicted of anything to the US to face actual charges in the real American court system, saying all kinds of criminals should get due process in the United States. Rep. John Culberson (R – TX) angrily slammed the comments, saying “killers and psychopaths” don’t deserve constitutional rights.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.