The GOP chided the president’s proposal to close Guantanamo Bay prison Saturday, calling it a plan to unilaterally disarm in the fight against terrorists.
“The president says Guantanamo Bay makes us less safe because terrorists use it as a propaganda tool. But terrorists use just about any,” Rep. Jackie Walorski, R-Ind., said in the official GOP weekly address Saturday.
Walorski argued the facility should remain open. Some Republican presidential candidates have called for the prison to be expanded.
“Thirty percent of former Guantanamo prisoners are either confirmed or suspected of re-engaging in terrorism. In fact, just this week, a former Guantanamo prisoner was arrested in Spain after trying to recruit for [the Islamic State],” Walorski said.
She cited large House margins in opposition to the president’s plan to close the prison.
“The people’s representatives have repeatedly voted to forbid the transfer of Guantanamo prisoners to American soil. This goes all the way back to when the president’s party controlled Congress. And just last year, we affirmed this decision by a big, bipartisan vote — 370 votes in the House and 91 votes in the Senate,” Walorski said.
