Republican Senators Reintroduce Justice For 9/11 Act To Block Guantanamo Bay Plea Deals

In a move to revoke plea agreements struck under the Biden administration with Guantanamo Bay detainees tied to the 9/11 attacks, Republican Senators Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), and Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) reintroduced the Justice for 9/11 Act on Wednesday. (This bill directly challenges the legal agreements involving detainees like Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the architect behind the attacks.) Originally introduced by Cotton and McConnell in August of last year, the bill aims to prevent plea deals that these lawmakers argue undermine justice for the victims of 9/11. Complementary legislation is being spearheaded in the House by Rep. Mike Lawler (R-N.Y.). Last week, a military appeals court ruled that the Pentagon could not overturn plea agreements reached between detainees’ defense lawyers and military prosecutors. This decision has sparked widespread outrage among Republican lawmakers and survivors of the victims, who view such agreements as a miscarriage of justice.

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin revoked the plea deals at the beginning of August, but a military judge ultimately ruled that he had no authority to revoke the agreement already reached by the top court authority at Guantanamo Bay, the facility in Cuba where the men are being held. “Giving a plea deal to the terrorist masterminds behind 9/11 is disgraceful and an insult to the victims of the attacks, as well as those who served to avenge them,” Senator Cotton stated. “These monsters should have faced justice decades ago. Instead, Joe Biden has set the stage to let them go free. My bill will stop this travesty and prevent the Biden administration from replenishing the ranks of our terrorist enemies any further on his way out the door.” Senator McConnell echoed Cotton’s sentiment, emphasizing the need for accountability: “In the wake of terrorist savagery, our obligation is to deliver justice. However long it takes, those responsible for September 11 deserve nothing more, and the families of their victims deserve nothing less.” Senator Moran also voiced his alarm over the court’s ruling and the broader implications of the Biden administration’s actions: “The court’s decision to uphold the plea deal for three 9/11 conspirators is alarming. In addition to the plea deal, the Biden administration continues to use its final days in power to release some of the world’s most violent terrorists from Guantanamo Bay. These men should face trial for their crimes, and Congress must act quickly to pass this important legislation.”   Article Published With The Permission of American Liberty News