Yesterday, the House Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations held a hearing on “Guantanamo Detainee Transfer Policy and Recidivism.” None of the witnesses claimed that Guantanamo is a major recruiting tool for al Qaeda. That omission is refreshing.

Administration officials, including President Obama himself, have repeatedly claimed over the past two plus years that Gitmo is a major recruiting tool for al Qaeda and jihadist organizations. That simply isn’t true. But it was a convenient political argument for the president and his administration as they desperately tried to shut Guantanamo down.