Obama Vows to Shut Down Gitmo...Again

The Takeaway | Nov 6, 2015

Click on the audio player above to hear this interview.

President Obama has once again said he is going to shut down the Guantánamo Bay detention center in Cuba.  It's a message we have heard before and one that Congress says is not going to happen.  

The only way the president can close the detainee center is to veto the National Defense Authorization Act, an option he has had in the past and has not acted on. There are currently 112 detainees in Guantánamo. If closed, those cleared for release would be transferred to other countries, while those are slated for indefinite detention would be sent to secure federal and military prisons in the U.S.

Lawmakers on Capitol Hill are not happy. Sen. John McCain says Obama lacks a clear plan and doesn't want to cooperate with Congress. However, things may be different this time around—this will be Obama's last chance to act on this long standing promise.  

Carlos Warner, assistant federal defender in Ohio who currently represents 10 men detained at Guantánamo, explains what might be next for Gitmo.

What you'll learn from this segment:

  • Whether this is really a battle President Obama can win.
  • What happens if Gitmo is not shut down. 
  • How the detention center may complicate his legacy.

 

 

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