Free Republic

A federal judge was aghast over the Trump administration’s assertion it could indefinitely detain a U.S. citizen as an enemy combatant without providing access to a lawyer, saying the Justice Department’s defense of the practice amounted to “an end run” around the man’s Constitutional rights. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan is weighing a request by the American Civil Liberties Union to allow the group access to the man in order to provide him legal representation. “He wants counsel, which is an assertion and a request that I don’t think I can ignore,” Judge Chutkan said Monday, adding that she plans...

The White House said Wednesday that it considers the New York terrorist attacker to be an enemy combatant, a status which would make him subject to military justice. “I believe we would consider this person to be an enemy combatant, yes,” said White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders. “I think the actions that he took certainly justify that.” Terrorist suspect Sayfullo Saipov, a native of Uzbekistan, is accused of killing eight people and injuring 11 others by mowing them down with a rented truck on a bike path in lower Manhattan Tuesday. President Trump said he would consider sending...

Problematic, in a very big way even if the offer was made.Qatar’s ties to Al Qaeda and ISIS aren’t news. They’ve effectively served as intermediaries in everything from ransom exchanges for hostages to Taliban negotiations. But actually trying to secure terrorist swaps for prisoners on their own behalf would have been a new frontier. Before he was released from a U.S. maximum-security prison last week, a confessed al Qaeda sleeper agent was offered up in a potential prisoner swap that would have freed two Americans held abroad.According to two individuals with direct knowledge of the case, the proposition was...

The Department of Defense will no longer call captured terrorists "unlawful combatants," but will now refer to these people as "unprivileged enemies." In a joint publication released this month, terrorists captured and detained by the United States will no longer be called "unlawful combatants," which is now apparently an obsolete term. Instead, a more polically correct term, "unprivileged enemies," has been chosen. The manual explains, "Belligerent. In general, a person who is engaged in hostilities against the US or its multinational partners during an armed conflict. The term belligerent includes both privileged belligerent and unprivileged enemy belligerent." It also includes...

The White House said Monday that the surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombing will not be treated as an enemy combatant, in response to calls from Republican lawmakers to consider that option. The announcement came as a sealed complaint was filed against suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev. Fox News has learned that the suspect made an initial appearance in front of a federal magistrate judge at the hospital where he is still being treated. No plea was entered. Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/04/22/white-house-says-boston-bombing-suspect-will-not-be-treated-as-enemy-combatant/#ixzz2RDOmB3KX

Sen. Dianne Feinstein said Sunday she “regrets” discussions on whether the surviving Boston bombing suspect should be interrogated as a potential enemy combatant. The California Democrat told “Fox News Sunday” the Obama administration’s High Value Interrogation Group will interview suspect Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, he will be read his Miranda rights at a later date and federal courts, not a military commission, can handle the case. "I really regret all of this discussion, which is creating a conflict that need not be there,” she said. “The administration is ready. … I don’t think all of this is very helpful.” Two bombs placed...

He may have gotten by the negligent, incompetent misled DHS, the FBI, ICE, the lax immigration policies, etc, etc, and he may have been awarded citizenship, but that does not change the undeniable and obvious fact that he turned TRAITOR and joined the Islamic enemy in their continuing bloody attacks on America and innocent American citizens (and others). Yes, that is TREASON and the moment he joined in on this treasonous operation he became an enemy combatant!! Read, study, understand and abide by the constitution!!

Several Republican lawmakers are calling for the surviving suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings to be tried as an enemy combatant, rather than as an ordinary criminal. “It is clear the events we have seen over the past few days in Boston were an attempt to kill American citizens and terrorize a major American city,” read a Saturday statement from Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), John McCain (R-Ariz.), Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) and Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.). “The accused perpetrators of these acts were not common criminals attempting to profit from a criminal enterprise, but terrorists trying to injure, maim, and kill...

I missed tonight’s CBS debate, mainly because I spent a great evening with some of my blogging friends here at FreedomWorks’ BlogCon2011. When I returned, though, I got a few messages about one particular moment in the debate, where CBS moderator attempted to lecture Newt Gingrich on the “rule of law” regarding American citizens who join the enemy to wage war against the US. Big mistake. The two worst aspects of this exchange? The smug look on Pelley’s face when he challenged Gingrich on this point, and the “no” you can hear him utter just as Gingrich started his smackdown...

A major question is swirling around the 13 US service personnel who were killed, and the 30 who were wounded in the Ft. Hood shooting in November. Central Texas Congressman John Carter (R-Tx), who represents Ft. Hood and Killeen, is introducing a measure in Congress to award the 43 victims of the shooting by Maj. Nadal Hasan the Purple Heart, and the benefits which come from being awarded the decoration. “All these things are already given to soldiers who are killed or injured in combat,” Carter said, “And I think they should be extended to those soldiers who were killed...

War On Terror: The Justice Department employs nine lawyers previously involved in the defense of terrorist detainees. This is a colossal conflict of interest. Just whose side are they on? From the dropping of a voter-intimidation case against the New Black Panther Party to the decision to try 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Muhammed in a civilian court within blocks of where the World Trade Center once stood, the actions and attitudes of the Justice Department and Attorney General Eric Holder toward the thugs and terrorists who threaten us has grown curiouser and curiouser. We may now have a clue as...

This past week gave us an interesting insight in how the Obama Administration is politicizing terror; ironically, something they accused the Bush Administration of regularly during the campaign. This week, the intelligence services told the White House and Congress that Christmas bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmuttallab is now speaking to interrogators...a full 5 weeks after his initial arrest. The information was given to Congress in closed door meetings. However, the White House, primarily their political and communication wings (led by Robert Gibbs and David Axelrod), immediately went on the attack in public forums, exclaiming how well their strategy worked in obtaining...

Holder's decision to Mirandize the Christmas bomber was bad enough. Telling the world he was talking again waseven worse Security: The administration says the Christmas bomber is now cooperating with authorities. We thought they got all the information he had in a 50-minute chat. So just why are we letting our enemies know he's talking? In any war, it's vitally important that you know what your enemy is planning and doing, just as it's important that your actions and plans remain secret. And when you know about your enemy's plans it's important they don't know that you know. We were...

President Barack Obama's nationality scandal is gathering speed and refusing to go away now that Congress has got involved. There have been rumbles of unrest around the world regarding Obama's nationality since the day he stated he would run for the presidency. Now, after more than a year as president of the USA, the rumbles have turned into a full on eruption. The Barack Obama nationality scandal is refusing to burn itself out and seems to be gathering even more speed with Congressman Nathan Deal questioning the eligibility of Obama to hold the presidency. This is the first time in...

Chris Cuomo says there's no proof Mutallab will talk less as a lawyered-up criminal defendant than as an enemy combatant. Suggestions to the contrary are just politics. George Stephanopolous manifests the same problem his old boss did: he doesn't know what the meaning of "is," is. Steph claims Mutallab "is" singing. But reports are that the would-be mass-murderer was singing—but isn't any more. It was all part of Good Morning America's defense today of Pres. Obama's decision to give the NWA 253 bomber the full ACLU treatment, rather than dealing with him as the enemy combatant he is. Fortunately, Rudy...

Six critical reasons to never try those who wage Jihad terror against America, or any other irregular enemy combatant, in any U.S. civilian criminal court: It extends American juris prudence rights and procedure to enemy combatant irregulars who, according to the Geneva convention, don't deserve prisoner of war status and deserve, according to the same, to be executed after a military tribunal. It offers a very real prospect because of venue, how testimony was obtained, miranda readings to someone who deserves none, etc., etc. that terrorists will get either reduced sentences or be aquitted. As a result of giving testimony...

In a surprising ruling, a federal judge has determined that convicted terrorist, Jose Padilla, can sue former Department of Justice lawyer, John Yoo, over Yoo’s legal opinion that led to Padilla being held as an enemy combatant. US District Judge Jeffrey S. White of the Northern District of California based in San Francisco, denied a Department of Justice motion to dismiss the lawsuit. Padilla’s lawyers contend that Yoo’s legal opinions allowed the US military to detain Padilla as an enemy combatant which led to Padilla being subjected to torture. As reported by local TV station KTVU: The lawsuit alleges the...

"With regard to those who you would describe as terrorists, we would not bring them into this country and release them, anyone we would consider to be a terrorist," Holder said. He added the government has no plans to release anyone considered a terrorist in a foreign country, either.

Nearly six years ago, President George W. Bush declared Ali Saleh Kahlah al-Marri an enemy combatant and had him swept out of federal court and into a U.S. Navy brig so he could be interrogated without the legal protections afforded by the criminal justice system. Bush said the Qatari national, arrested as a material witness in Illinois in December 2001, possessed critical intelligence that "would aid U.S. efforts to prevent attacks by al-Qaeda on the United States." In an agreement Marri entered Thursday in Peoria, Ill., he pleaded guilty to conspiracy to provide material support to al-Qaeda and admitted to...

Barack Obama is considering retaining a modified version of the Bush-era military trials for al-Qaeda suspects held at Guantanamo Bay, in what would be the biggest about turn of his presidency so far. The decision would effectively show his government has been unable to find another way of prosecuting detainees regarded as too dangerous to be freed, who include five men accused of plotting the 9/11 attacks. It also raises the possibility that Mr Obama may also have to keep the controversial prison open in some guise for longer than planned as reforms would require new legislation and cause further...