Page 6 - ARUBA TODAY

A6 U.S. NEWS
Thursday 1 February 2018
Trump signs order to keep Guantanamo Bay prison open

By DEB RIECHMANN leaders and other critics
Associated Press have been vehemently
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- opposed to how detainees
dent Donald Trump has have been held at Guan-
signed an executive order tanamo for decades with-
to keep open the U.S. mili- out charge.
tary prison at Guantanamo "I have no doubt terrorist
Bay, marking a formal re- groups like ISIS will applaud
versal of his predecessor's Trump's announcement
eight-year effort to shut it that it is now the formal
down. policy of the United States
Trump made it clear dur- to detain Muslims forever
ing his campaign that he without charge in an off-
wanted Guantanamo to shore prison," said attorney
remain open and to "load it J. Wells Dixon of the New
up with some bad dudes," York-based Center for Con-
but he has not yet sent a stitutional Rights.
new detainee to the facil- He said militants will con-
ity. tinue to use it to recruit new
The order, which Trump members. "Keeping Guan-
signed Tuesday night just In this June 27, 2006 file photo, reviewed by a U.S. Department of Defense official, U.S. military tanamo open is politically
before delivering his first guards walk within Camp Delta military-run prison, at the Guantanamo Bay U.S. Naval Base, Cuba. expedient but exceedingly
State of the Union address, Associated Press stupid no matter how you
says the U.S. maintains the look at it."
option to detain additional question them. But we must on the subject that about expected to change with The detention center,
enemy combatants at the be clear: Terrorists are not 17 percent of the 728 de- Trump's new order, said which President George
detention center in Cuba merely criminals. They are tainees who have been re- Lee Wolosky, who was W. Bush opened after Sept.
when lawful and neces- unlawful enemy combat- leased from Guantanamo Obama's special envoy at 11, 2001, reached a maxi-
sary to protect U.S. national ants." are "confirmed" and 12 the State Department for mum population of about
security. It requires the de- "In the past, we have fool- percent are "suspected" of closing Guantanamo. 680 in the summer of 2003.
fense secretary to recom- ishly released hundreds re-engaging in militant ac- "But as a symbolic matter, Bush transferred about 500
mend criteria for determin- and hundreds of danger- tivities. it changes a great deal out before he left office.
ing the fate of individuals ous terrorists only to meet But the vast majority of because the two presi- Obama transferred 197
captured by the United them again on the bat- those re-engagements oc- dents before him were try- detainees out, leaving 41,
States in armed conflict, tlefield, including the ISIS curred with former prisoners ing to close Guantanamo including five cleared for
including sending them to leader, al-Baghdadi, who who did not go through the because they recognized release. Trump also asked
Guantanamo. we captured, who we had, security review that was set that it was a detriment to Congress to make sure that
"Terrorists who do things like who we released," he said, up under President Barack our national security," he in the fight against the Is-
place bombs in civilian hos- referring to Islamic State Obama. Trump's order says said. "Symbolically, it reaf- lamic State group and al-
pitals are evil," Trump said. group leader Abu Bakr al- this review process would firms his interest in perpe- Qaida, the United States
"When possible, we have Baghdadi. continue to be used to de- trating a symbol that has has necessary power to de-
no choice but to annihilate The office of the Director of termine whether detainees greatly damaged the Unit- tain terror suspects “wher-
them. When necessary, we National Intelligence said should be held. ed States." ever we chase them down,
must be able to detain and in its most recent report Practically, not much is European allies, Muslim wherever we find them.q

Hillary Clinton regrets not firing

adviser accused of harassment

campaign keep his job Strider did not immediately was severe and the mes-
despite his inappropriate respond Wednesday to sage to him unambiguous.
workplace behavior. The a call and email request- I also believe in second
short answer is this: If I had it ing comment. Strider told chances," Clinton said in
to do again, I wouldn't." BuzzFeed News that he the post published shortly
Clinton said that senior didn't consider his behavior before the start of President
campaign staff and legal "excessive, but that doesn't Donald Trump's State of the
counsel confirmed that the mean it wasn't to" the Union address.

In this Dec. 15, 2017 file photo, former Secretary of State and behavior by faith-based woman. "But sometimes they're
presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks to the GirlsBuildLA adviser Burns Strider had Clinton said that there squandered."
Leadership Summit in Los Angeles. occurred after the woman were no further complaints She said that the reoccur-
Associated Press came forward. Her cam- against Strider during the rence of the behavior "trou-
paign manager recom- rest of the campaign, but bles me greatly" and leads
NEW YORK (AP) — Hillary my life has been to support mended that Strider be ter- that she is troubled that he her to question whether it
Clinton says she should not and empower women," minated, but Clinton said was terminated from a job would have been better if
have let a senior campaign Clinton wrote on Facebook she instead demoted him, leading an independent she had fired him.
adviser keep his job after Tuesday night . docked his pay, required political action committee "There is no way I can go
a female staffer accused "So I very much under- counseling, separated supporting Clinton for inap- back 10 years and know
him of sexual harassment in stand the question I'm be- him from the victim, and propriate behavior several the answers. But you can
2007. ing asked as to why I let warned him that he'd be years later. bet I'm asking myself these
"The most important work of an employee on my 2008 fired if he did it again. "I believed the punishment questions right now." q