Posted on 09/13/2014 6:58:24 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Iowa Democrat continues to support plan despite years of congressional opposition.
Rep. Bruce Braley (D., Iowa) continued to vote in favor of transferring terrorist prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to a U.S. facility even after the plan collapsed due to congressional opposition, according to government records.
Republicans have blasted Braley this week for supporting an initial proposal in 2009 to move the detainees to an Illinois correctional center near the Iowa border. The criticism comes as polls show that an overwhelming majority of Americans view the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL or ISIS), the al Qaeda offshoot that now controls larges swaths of Iraq and Syria, as a threat to the United States.
The Democratic Senate candidate’s campaign stood by his support for the transfer plan on Wednesday, providing the Quad-City Times with a statement from a local city council member who praised Braley’s advocacy for the prison.
Braley said in November 2009 that the federal plan to relocate detainees to the Thomson, Ill., prison would bring jobs to the area near the Illinois-Iowa border. He visited the facility that month.
“The time for fear-mongering is over,” he said at the time. “I have listened to my constituents all week, and they have told me with a resounding voice they want these jobs to come to their area.”
However, the Obama administration’s $350 million proposal to buy and renovate the Thomson prison ultimately died in 2010 due to staunch opposition from Congress. Lawmakers inserted language in the 2011 defense bill that prohibited any funds for a U.S. facility to hold Guantanamo detainees.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons ended up purchasing the Thomson facility anyway in 2012 for $165 million, but administration officials said it would only house maximum-security inmates in the United States—not Guantanamo prisoners. Attorney General Eric Holder noted at the time that transfers from the Guantanamo detention center would violate federal law.
That did not stop Braley from attempting to transfer Guantanamo detainees. He voted in favor of a failed amendment in June 2013 that would have permitted the use of federal money for a U.S.-based facility housing detainees.
He then voted against a successful amendment this June that barred funds for the transfer of detainees to any foreign country.
“Bruce Braley is out of touch if he thinks Iowans want him to bring the world’s dangerous criminals to Iowa’s backyard,” said Republican Party of Iowa spokesman Jahan Wilcox in a statement on Friday. “Braley’s inability to grasp the threat posed by terrorists, like those in ISIS, shows just how out of touch he is with Iowans.”
Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R., N.H.) also slammed Braley on a Wednesday conference call for supporting the Thomson plan. The transfer of detainees to the United States could harm national security, she said.
“I think [Braley’s] plan to house terrorists in Iowa’s backyard is not only dangerous but also could present a number of legal issues that could make it more challenging for us to gather intelligence when we need to protect our country as we interrogate those individuals,” she said.
The Braley campaign did not respond to a request for comment.
Braley’s stance on Guantanamo transfers highlights a contrast with his Republican opponent, Joni Ernst, on security issues. Ernst has taken a hard line on threats such as ISIS recruits who could return to the United States to launch attacks.
The race between Ernst and Braley remains a dead heat, according to the Real Clear Politics poll average. A CNN poll released Friday gave Braley a slight 49-48 percent lead, which is within the survey’s margin of error.
Ernst should SMASH him on this. foreign policy is a sore spot for the rats now. Time to stab it!
Well, if I can have a boating accident, so can they.
I bet if he offered to bring them into his Own Home, Congress would go along. In fact I think someone should force the issue by legislation.
I was thinking the same thing. If you want them stateside, your state.
I can’t believe this is even close. Braley is an idiot.
They’re fighting over Tom Harkin’s seat.
Braley, yes, we should let Club Gitmo’s terrorists be jailed. I mean what will go wrong, beside EVERYTHING!!!!!
No, don’t send them to a prison in Illinois. Release them in Iowa City with ankle bracelets and a warning to be on their best behavior.
Make it so, number one. Herk’s a jerk!!
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