The likely next leader of the intelligence community said Tuesday that he supports keeping prisoners at Guantanamo Bay to prevent detainees from fighting against the U.S. after their release.
Former Sen. Dan Coats, R-Ind., who appeared before the Senate Intelligence Committee for his confirmation hearing to be the director of national intelligence, was asked by Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., how he would advise the president on the country’s detention policy for enemy combatants. He said that a “significant percentage” of those who have been released from Guantanamo Bay have rejoined the fight.
“This is an ongoing conflict and the last thing we want to do is tell the American people that we’re sending someone back to become once again our adversary so I’ve been supportive of detention, which I think is done in a lawful way, done in a humane way, but simply sending everybody back home I don’t think is a solution to the problem,” Coats said.
Trump has said he will fill up Guantanamo Bay with “bad dudes.”
Closing the military prison in Cuba was a key priority of former President Obama’s administration. The prison now holds 41 men.
Former President George W. Bush released 532 detainees from Gitmo, and 111 are confirmed to have entered to the terrorist fight after being transferred. That makes the confirmed recidivism rate under him about 21 percent.
One of those who was released was responsible for the deaths of Americans.
The Obama administration, after implementing a vetting process, claims a much lower recidivism rate of just 4.9 percent.
