A group of House Republican lawmakers warned the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Monday that following a directive from President Obama to transfer Guantanamo Bay detainees to the United States would violate military law.
The group, all veterans or active in the military, told the Joint Chiefs that they must follow the current law, which prohibits moving the terrorist suspects at Guantanamo to any prison facility in the United States.
The letter follows President Obama’s statement last week that the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris won’t stop his plan to close Guantanamo and bring some of the detainees to America.
“The Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) contemplates that with respect to enlisted personnel and officers in the United States armed forces, when an order given by one’s superiors comes into conflict with the laws of this nation, the latter prevail,” the letter said.
It was signed by Rep. Mike Pompeo, R-Kan., and 15 other GOP lawmakers.
Congress last year cleared legislation, signed by Obama, that prohibits transfer of Guantanamo detainees to U.S. soil. The same prohibitive language was attached to a defense spending authorization measure that Obama plans to sign, which will extend the ban another year.
While Obama said he supports closing the facility, the administration delayed the release of a plan to move detainees to the United States.
The administration appears keenly aware that such a move would most likely draw strong opposition from Republicans and also many Democrats in the wake of the Paris attacks.
Read the letter here:
