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WASHINGTON - The Bush administration is expected to unveil a new plan Wednesday to change the law so that "unlawful combatants" held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, can be tried for crimes before military tribunals.
The Supreme Court ruled on June 29 that the administration's plan to hold criminal trials before military tribunals for some of the detainees violates U.S. and international law. In response, the White House approached Congress about adopting new laws that would allow for such prosecutions. But lawmakers, including top Republicans, insisted that the tribunals include more protections for detainees.
The administration has insisted that "enemy combatants" must not be granted certain legal rights that would expose classified information or hinder interrogations.
At issue is whether Congress should pass legislation authorizing the
Pentagon's more stringent tribunal system struck down by the court, or create a new system with trials similar to courts-martial used for prosecuting members of the military.
Military lawyers have urged a solution patterned on the existing system of military courts martial. But Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has objected to rules that would give terror suspects the right to remain silent or challenge hearsay evidence.
Gonzales, National Security Adviser
Stephen Hadley and other administration officials have been negotiating with Congress to resolve the situation.
It is unclear whether or not the rules would apply only to detainees held by the military or also those in
CIA custody, though the CIA has never acknowledged that it holds any members of al-Qaida. However, senior administration officials and intelligence lawyers had held extensive meetings since the court's decision to determine how it applies to all detainees, including those considered the most dangerous followers of
Osama bin Laden.
Bush's White House speech, planned for 1:45 p.m. EDT, is the third in a series of speeches designed to bolster public support for the war on terror and the administration's
Iraq policy.
The administration also was expected to brief lawmakers Wednesday on a new Army field manual that would set guidelines for the treatment of military detainees. Congress passed legislation late last year requiring military interrogators to follow the manual, which abided by Geneva Convention standards.
WASHINGTON - The Bush administration is expected to unveil a new plan Wednesday to change the law so that "unlawful combatants" held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, can be tried for crimes before military tribunals.
The Supreme Court ruled on June 29 that the administration's plan to hold criminal trials before military tribunals for some of the detainees violates U.S. and international law. In response, the White House approached Congress about adopting new laws that would allow for such prosecutions. But lawmakers, including top Republicans, insisted that the tribunals include more protections for detainees.
The administration has insisted that "enemy combatants" must not be granted certain legal rights that would expose classified information or hinder interrogations.
At issue is whether Congress should pass legislation authorizing the
Pentagon's more stringent tribunal system struck down by the court, or create a new system with trials similar to courts-martial used for prosecuting members of the military.
Military lawyers have urged a solution patterned on the existing system of military courts martial. But Attorney General Alberto Gonzales has objected to rules that would give terror suspects the right to remain silent or challenge hearsay evidence.
Gonzales, National Security Adviser
Stephen Hadley and other administration officials have been negotiating with Congress to resolve the situation.
It is unclear whether or not the rules would apply only to detainees held by the military or also those in
CIA custody, though the CIA has never acknowledged that it holds any members of al-Qaida. However, senior administration officials and intelligence lawyers had held extensive meetings since the court's decision to determine how it applies to all detainees, including those considered the most dangerous followers of
Osama bin Laden.
Bush's White House speech, planned for 1:45 p.m. EDT, is the third in a series of speeches designed to bolster public support for the war on terror and the administration's
Iraq policy.
The administration also was expected to brief lawmakers Wednesday on a new Army field manual that would set guidelines for the treatment of military detainees. Congress passed legislation late last year requiring military interrogators to follow the manual, which abided by Geneva Convention standards.
Oh, right, the original plan was to just let them rot in Cuba.
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