Congressman Frank Wolf: 'I Remain Firmly Opposed to Closing Guantanamo Bay'

After returning from a trip to Guantanamo Bay last Friday, Congressman Frank Wolf (R-10th), who represents part of McLean, said he remains "firmly opposed to closing" the prison.

“On Friday, I travelled to Guantanamo Bay at the request of my colleague Congressman Moran, who also invited Senator Kaine and Congressman Connolly to join," Wolf said. "He asked if I would go with him and I agreed." 

“Our trip was productive and I encourage all my colleagues to go," Wolf said. "The American service men and women working at Guantanamo Bay are doing an outstanding job, despite the constant threat of physical and verbal attacks, mass disturbances and ‘splashing,’ when detainees mix urine and feces with milk and throw it in the guards’ faces."

"These detainees are still in the fight and direct that aggression at the men and women serving as guards. Despite these challenges, the center is run in a safe, humane, transparent and, above all, legal manner. There is no torture. There is no abuse. The detainees are treated with respect," Wolf said. 

"In fact, the detainees live in better conditions than they would at a supermax prison," Wolf said. "It is my understanding that many of the detention policies at Guantanamo are based on U.S. Bureau of Prisons protocols for civilian inmates, including the nasal intubation of inmates refusing to eat.    

“I remain firmly opposed to closing Guantanamo Bay.  These detainees – even those cleared by the administration for release to other countries for detention and monitoring – are dangerous.  During our trip we discussed the possibility of holding civilian trials at Guantanamo Bay for certain detainees. Again, I stress, any trials – whether military commission or Article III – should be held at Guantanamo Bay, not on American soil.

"The individuals being held at Guantanamo Bay are dangerous people who continue to want to harm Americans," Wolf said. "It is also worth noting that of the detainees who have already been released, nearly one-third have returned to the fight, according to unclassified reports issued by the administration.  I suspect the true number is significantly higher in the classified version of the report.  At least five detainees declared by the Obama Administration to be safe for release in 2009 have already returned to terrorism."
“Finally, it is clear that the U.S. military needs a place to detain and interrogate terrorist suspects," Wolf said. "For the past five years, the administration’s policy has been to kill, not capture, terrorists, making it exceedingly difficult to detain and interrogate them."

"This policy also raises problems and deprives our military and intelligence community of valuable information that could save lives and help in the war on terror," Wolf said. "History has shown that if you can get a terrorist to talk, there is a lot of valuable information that can be learned.  I believe Guantanamo Bay is the appropriate place to bring new high-value suspects for interrogation, detention and trial.”

Wolf is the chairman of the House Appropriations subcommittee that funds the Bureau of Prisons and Department of Justice.  He has repeatedly spoken out against GITMO detainees being transferred to U.S. soil.