Obama has been replenishing the enemy’s ranks from Guantanamo for years now.
“Officials say Guantanamo transfers have killed Americans,” by Richard Lardner, Associated Press, March 23, 2016:
WASHINGTON (AP) — Americans have been killed by prisoners released from the detention center at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, a senior Defense Department official told lawmakers Wednesday, triggering sharp criticism from Republicans opposed to shuttering the facility in the wake of deadly attacks by the Islamic State group in Brussels and Paris.
Paul Lewis, the Pentagon’s special envoy for Guantanamo detention closure, declined to provide the GOP-led House Foreign Affairs Committee with details. He would not say whether the incidents occurred before or after President Barack Obama took office in January 2009.
“What I can tell you is unfortunately there have been Americans that have died because of (Guantanamo) detainees,” Lewis said during an exchange with Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif.
“When anybody dies, it is tragedy and we don’t want anybody to die because we transfer detainees,” Lewis said.
An Obama administration official said Lewis was referring to an incident that involved an Afghan prisoner released from Guantanamo while George W. Bush was president. The official was not authorized to speak publicly and requested anonymity.
During the Bush administration, 532 prisoners were released from Guantanamo, often in large groups to Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia – the two nationalities that made up the greatest number of prisoners.
The Obama administration has released 144 detainees after a screening process that involves representatives from six government agencies and departments who must make a unanimous decision to release.
Lewis testified before the committee along with Lee Wolosky, the State Department’s special envoy for Guantanamo closure. They argued the prison is a powerful propaganda tool for the Islamic State group and keeping it open damages U.S. national security.
Republicans and a few Democrats in Congress have repeatedly thwarted Obama’s effort to close the prison and blocked any attempt to move detainees to U.S. prisons in legislation the president has signed into law.
Wolosky said the Guantanamo prison did not prevent Tuesday’s attacks in Brussels that killed at least 34 people and wounded more than 200 or the November 13 attacks in Paris.
“There are unfortunately going to be acts of terrorism, probably whether the facility is opened or closed,” Wolosky said. “The proper analysis is, ‘What are the risks of keeping it open in light of the very obvious use of that facility as a propaganda tool,’ which, frankly, you should not have to question.”
The committee’s hearing marked the first open exchange between the Obama administration and Congress over the utility and future of the prison since Obama sent his plan for shutting it down to Capitol Hill last month. The proposal was greeted with firm opposition from Republicans, who declared his proposal to deliver an unfulfilled campaign promise a non-starter.
Republicans see the prison at Guantanamo as more essential than ever. With the Islamic State group carrying out deadly assaults in Europe and expanding its base in Libya, they said, there needs to be a place to hold terrorist suspects. Republicans have refused Obama’s request that Congress change the law that prohibits moving detainees accused of violent extremist acts to U.S. soil….

Angemon says
If most, of all, of those deaths could be attributed to Bush, I suspect the Obama administration would have done it by now.
underbed cat says
Propaganda tool not only for the terrorists,but the left political party that help plant a politician in high office, and imprisoning another to get him started. Think Blago, what really did he do but say the obvious, at the wrong time in Chicago. Yep and everyone got on board.
underbed cat says
Just to remind that the chant to release captured terrorists was a news item broadcast daily. Some were very dangerous…..guys who were when released back, would be fighting Americans, a very dreary dilemma. They cannot be released in the U.S.
They fight to spread a religion/political movement and live under sharia. They fight each other,but will join to fight us when the time comes…but their ambition seems to be worldwide as stated in the Quran….it is brutal and oppressive and constantly at war.
mortimer says
The killing of Americans by paroled jihadists is the strongest argument for keeping the jihadists detained at Guantanamo until they are 60 years of age.
Every Western country that has Muslim guests to do needs two things: 1) to establish a ‘Devil’s Island’ detention camp for jihadists, preferably on an island 2) to establish a professional protocol for deprogramming Muslims right out of Islam. This program should be compulsory for all jihadist detainees on pain of loss of privileges. Any Muslim applying for early release would need to successfully memorize the protocols that debunk, disprove and discredit Islamic teachings. A person memorizing the material would have so many doubts about Islam, it would be impossible to continue as a jihadist.
Shmooviyet says
The old Bush vs BO garbage again.
Americans have NOT forgotten that the current POTUS released 3 of the deadliest at Gitmo with the justification being the freeing of a courageous Bergdahl.
Yet Lewis professes sadness at “anyone dying” because of ‘transfers’— and refers to it as a “tragedy”.
This administration NEEDS, and counts heavily on the notion of, short memory among the citizenry. Constantly underestimating our ability to analyze and keep count on BO and his spectacular, motivated failures as an American “leader”.
SpiritOf1683 says
Thanks a million Obama and your minions. You’re a bunch of traitors. Same with the rest of the terrorist-loving PC brigade. Perhaps its time the lot of you were put into a maximum security penitentiary for releasing murderous thugs into society.
Stephen says
Will the president be arrested as he should for knowingly (because he was absolutely certain this would happen and desired it to happen) facilitating their murder? Who is a worse monster them or him?
Stephen says
Or smoking his hash pipe.
gravenimage says
Defense Department admits that freed Guantanamo jihadis have murdered Americans
………………….
But this will not stop the suicidal drumbeat calling for closing Gitmo.
Wellington says
You’re correct, gravenimage. It will not. It should. But it will not. Well, when you have fools like Obama and Kerry as President and Secretary of State respectively, then madness in policy should be expected. Lots of deaths and maimings too.
Chris Kirouac says
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_terrorism#United_States
abad says
The Loony Left would have you believe Gitmo is full of innocent Middle-Eastern people who have done nothing to harm us.
Since the LL prefer that Ivory Tower to Reality it is probably better to ignore their fantastic ideas.
John Johness says
I assume that “Paul Lewis, the Pentagon’s special envoy for Guantanamo detention closure” is a paid employee of the USA government. Then force him to give the figures.
Do these people live in Disneyland? This is a war. Not Mickey goes to the Circus.
As to ISIS using Gitmo for propaganda – so what! They use everything that is thrown at them as propaganda. That is how an enemy works.
It really is beyond belief.
Islam :- the hateful religion of Killers says
To Obama, the loss of American lives are worth more than the loss of one campaign promise …
At the end of the day it comes down to that, one campaign promise is too political to let slip, too political to face the reality,,, oops sorry about the kids now without a Dad and a Mom bringing them up without an income …
Hey,,,,, but at least Obama is a man of his word
Baucent says
“The proper analysis is, ‘What are the risks of keeping it open in light of the very obvious use of that facility as a propaganda tool,’
Not quite. That’s a sloppy statement. The “proper analysis” includes both the “risks” and the benefits of keeping high level jihadists off the field. Actually the propaganda value of Gitmo to the Jihadi cause is overstated. There is enough material in the Koran to inspire perpetual generations of Jihadists and close it tomorrow and recruitment will not change an iota. Really it’s more about Obama wanting to protect his legacy than keeping America safe.
Hummer says
And Congress cannot find anything like this for which he is responsible to impeach him. That truly is incredulous. The enemy understands one thing and that is force. They will pay and pay starting 2017.
Enrico says
It would be dangerous to detain the world’s most murderous Islamic crazed psycopaths among American inmates. That is why Obama loves the idea. Obama is one of them.