Washington, D.C. —Rep. David B. McKinley, P.E.  (R-WV) issued the following statement on President Obama’s plan to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay:

“President Obama’s promise to close the prison at Guantanamo ignores the reality that there is no safer place to hold hardened terrorists and enemy combatants. The only alternatives are to transfer these prisoners abroad or keep them in prisons at home.

“Sending Guantanamo prisoners to other countries has been a failure, with nearly one in three Guantanamo detainees returning to commit acts of terror. As for the other alternative, do Americans really want the ‘worst of the worst’ terrorists living nearby?     

“Congress has spoken on this issue in overwhelming bipartisan fashion by prohibiting any terrorists from being transferred from Guantanamo to American soil. President Obama knows this, since he has signed this restriction into law every year since 2009. 

“An unrealistic campaign promise from 2008 should not override our national security. Closing Guantanamo was a bad idea then, and it’s a bad idea now. We will do everything in our power to ensure the President abides by the law and stop this plan from moving ahead.”   

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