Attorney General Loretta Lynch reassured a Senate panel Wednesday that the Obama administration will not attempt to transfer Guantanamo Bay detainees to the United States without a change in law.
“The law currently prohibits a transfer to U.S. soil, and the president would have to work with Congress,” Lynch told the Senate Judiciary Committee. “Congress would have to consider any relevant changes that could be made to the law before any transfers could be taken.”
The comments echo ones made by Lynch in front of a House Appropriations subcommittee late last month, when she said the White House knows it cannot transfer detainees to U.S. soil due to a defense policy bill signed last year.
“The president’s policy indicates a desire to work with Congress to implement any necessary changes that would have to be taken before this could be taken,” Lynch said Wednesday. “I believe that is his plan.”
Still, many Republicans fear Obama will try to get around Congress and find a way to move the remaining detainees to the United States.
