Democrats defeat amendment to keep Gitmo terrorists out of Fed courts

Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.) rightly has many concerns including that if acquitted, these Islamic terrorists will be freed in the United States. via Terrorism amendment dies in Senate – Josh Gerstein – POLITICO.com.

The Senate rejected a move Thursday to block the Obama administration from using ordinary federal courts to prosecute those alleged to have plotted the Sept. 11 attacks.

On a 54-45 vote, the Senate tabled an amendment from Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) that would have left military commissions as the only option for prosecuting Sept. 11 suspects.

All 40 Republicans supported the amendment, along with Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) and four Democrats: Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.), Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.), Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) and Sen. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.)

Webb, whose home state of Virginia could also serve as a site for a federal trial of the 9/11 plotters, was the lone Democratic co-sponsor of the amendment.

“I have consistently argued that the appropriate venue for trying perpetrators of international terrorism who are in fact enemy combatants is a military tribunal,” Webb said. He said federal court procedures for turning over evidence to defense lawyers and for calling military and intelligence agency witnesses “could lead to the exposure of classified materials.”

Webb also indicated he was concerned that a terror suspect sent to federal court could be released in the U.S. if he was found not guilty.

“In the U.S. legal system if a defendant is acquitted he goes free,” the Virginia Democrat said. “It is unclear what will happen in our judicial system if one of these enemy combatants is acquitted.”

Even if they are convicted, creating “Gitmos” on U.S. soil will only create more targets for the jihad.