WASHINGTON, D.C.- U.S. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell made the following statement Thursday regarding the Executive Order issued by President Obama that Guantanamo Bay be closed within a year:
“Senate Republicans stand ready to work with President Obama to achieve the commitment stated in his Inaugural Address to defeat and outlast ‘those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents..’. I am committed to working with the new Commander in Chief to ensure that the symbolism of the Executive Order directing the closure of the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay does not lead to action that imperils the American people, either through the release of terrorists on American soil or into the wider world. Our first responsibility is to protect our nation. And, in my opinion, it is safer for the American people to keep committed terrorists at a secure facility hundreds of miles away from our shores rather than in facilities located in or near American communities.”
###