Parsing FBI Chief's Gitmo Remarks

FBI Director Robert Mueller is a man who chooses his words carefully. In Washington parlance "he stays on message and in bounds." And that's what makes his answers today before the House Judiciary committee so curious.

(CBS)

He was pressed repeatedly about the potential danger Guantanamo prisoners may pose to America. And he tried to be clear. He said the administration is still trying to determine what to do with the 240 detainees still being held. Mueller did concede that maximum security prisons like Supermax prison in Colorado could safely house al Qaeda big shots if they were to be brought to the U.S. And it's true that some that some al Qaeda operatives like Ramzi Youssef are already inside Supermax.

But, the questions continued and Mueller soon was invited to answer a broad hypothetical query. Congressman Lamar Smith, R-TX, asked, "In general, what concerns do you have about releasing individuals suspected of terrorism into our communities? What dangers could they pose?"

Now, nobody in the Obama administration is proposing releasing terror suspects in America. Some detainees will likely be brought here to stand trial in military and/or criminal courts. But, they'll be detained, not released. Still there is a chorus of "not-in-my-backyard politicians" that seems to be blurring that distinction to make sure Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is not moved to the county lock-up down the street.

Mueller could have made that point, but instead chose to answer the "danger" question. He started out carefully saying he could only speak "generally.. But, then he said, "…the concerns we have about individuals who may support terrorism being in the United States run from concerns about providing financing to terrorists, radicalizing others with regard to violent extremism, the potential for individuals undertaking attacks in the United States."

That's all true, but in only in a broad sense. Since 9/11 the FBI has worried about sleeper cells, terrorist financiers and homegrown al Qaeda sympathizers like California-born Adam Gadahn. And prison radicalization is a long-term threat, essentially a recruiting tool used by gangs, mobsters and extremists. That's what Mueller appeared to be talking about.

But, the headlines came in rapid fire. The Wall Street Journal Web site: FBI Director Raises Gitmo Concerns; The Associated Press: FBI director concerned about Gitmo releases; and The Washington Post: Mueller Warns Against Releasing Detainees in U.S..

The stories aren't wrong, but some at the FBI insist they're out of context. In any case the Obama administration now faces even more questions about the touchy subject of Gitmo. When asked about Mueller's testimony Attorney General Eric Holder tried to tamp down the fallout saying the government will shutdown Guantanamo in a way that won't "…put the American people at risk."

The president may give a more complete explanation when he lays out his Guantanamo plan Thursday.

Read: Obama And Cheney Plan Dueling Speeches

[mabamford]

to view a partial list of crimes committed by FBI agents over 1500 pages long see
http://www.forums.signonsandiego.com/showthread.php?t=59139

to view a partial list of FBI agents arrested for pedophilia see
http://www.dallasnews.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3574

[PunjiPunji]

Only Bob Orr got it right. FOX or rather Faux News and all the loonies who believe everything that comes out of the mouths of those airhead news models are the ones distorting this story. The story is that there is no story. The prisoners will not be released on the streets of their fairy tale main streets to rape and murder. They will be tried in courts of law and kept there until their deaths.

[ohgrowup]

Jesus Christ! Obama, change this SOB!

[maistir]

FBI Director Mueller understands that Guantanamo detainees brought to the US and put into the regular court system could be released by judges for any number of reasons. Many who post here do not (cannot?) think beyond the first step of any process.

[mingwong-2009]

Obama is not releasing prisoners in the US, their are some stupid people and i think the are all GOP. Do you really believe that the Obama will release these people in the US.maybe to our prisons.If our prisons are so slack that people can just break out then we should do something about that. i don't see a lot of prisoners running around just give them their day in court and put them to sleep.i would rather they be here and in prison, rather in a different country were the might be released and back to their old tricks. sounds like the GOP their back to their old tricks too

[egresor]

If the election were held again today, McCain would win by at least 5 points.

It's sad so many people have to be hit by a train to know it hurts.
Posted by TonySerts41

you have GOT to be kidding!

longing for the good old days of bush and cheney already?

geez-----that's retarded!

don't mean that as an insult, but merely to emphasize how ridiculous it sounds.

to prefer the policies of continuing the damages bush and cheney were doing instead of supporting someone who is working hard to united people to build america back up to what it was is mind boggling.

someone posted about the hannity interview of jesse ventura and after watching it i was flaberghasted (as was jesse) that hannity said he still preferred what bush was doing to what obama is doing, because he felt safer. safer when the threat of terrorist attacks was escalated by bush's actions and not decreased them.

btw

a dictatorship where legitimate dissent is ridiculed and stifled gives you safety too. ridiculing even moderate democrats as liberal is a tactic well known in the republican strategies. cheney saying he'd thought the moderate conservative decorated army officer colin powell had already left the party. that's how much of an extremeist ideologue cheney and therefore bush really are.

will say it again. the best analogy i can give of the relationship of bush and cheney are the brain slugs from futurama. the brain slug was present and visible and controlled the body completely and people acted like there wasn't anything wrong with it.

bush was a front man for a cabal. they picked him in texas and groomed him into the governorship and then finally to the presidency. just like in the western movies. the new marshal comes to town and finds the mayor is just a shill for the power brokers. mr smith goes to washington all over again.

do what you're told george. God has given you special dispensation. you served Him well and i sincerely mean that. you've done your part in helping him set up things for the endtime. manipulating all the elements to produce the results desired.

even pharoah served God.....didn't he?

you're absolutley right DefendLiberty

the fear and smear machine is a favorite tactic for them, but then again? what else do they have? they have no answers. 8 years of cheney proved that and how do they handle those that do. fear and smear. (nice terms you gave and very accurate too!).

btw

think i'll stop putting bush's name in posts for blame. so from now on it's going to be shadow president cheney. the power behind the throne.

[sjc_1]

Mueller had some valid points, but I did not hear any of his solutions to the concerns. One of the first things I ask of a subordinate is to bring at least one potential solution to the table.

[searingtruth]

"Laws are made for men of ordinary understanding and should, therefore, be construed by the ordinary rules of common sense. Their meaning is not to be sought for in metaphysical subtleties which may make anything mean everything or nothing at pleasure."
Thomas Jefferson, letter to William Johnson, June 12, 1823

A Future of the Brave

[earlysaid]

All politicians seem very afraid of the beaten down prisoners at Gitmo. All I care about is that all the policies of Bush and Cheney will no longer apply to any of the prisoners there. There will be an honest effort to weed out the innocent as well as try the guilty. For years people have been released from Gitmo and returned to their own countries. This is being turned into the big giant buggy man because republicans are only concerned about making trouble for President Obama. All President Obama needs to do is undo the terrible harm Bush and Cheney did about everything.

[kbbpll]

Geez, people are so _stupid_. The only reason Gitmo exists in the first place is not to "protect Americans". It exists because Bush-Cheney wanted to make sure these prisoners were not subject to US law. The only thing relevant was whose soil they were on.