Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has No Place in New York City

Attorney General Eric Holder's decision to try the 9/11 criminal mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed in New York City is reckless and entirely unjustifiable.  It is completely unnecessary; there is no logical reason why this prosecution could not have been handled by a military tribunal.  Furthermore, if we are to believe his claim that he consulted only his brother and wife before making this decision, then we must conclude that he left out those whose opinions are most important.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is not a citizen of the United States of America. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was captured during a military operation in a foreign country.  Despite what the radical left would like to believe, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed does not have any constitutional rights, at least not until he sets foot in our country to defile our courtrooms and judicial process.  Pretending he has constitutional rights will only embolden his followers by limiting their fear of swift justice.

Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has already confessed to his role in 9/11.  However, once the radical leftist Attorney General Eric Holder grants him a trial in our criminal courts, his confession can be stricken from the record.  Thanks to Obama and the Democrat's swift efforts to indict American intelligence gathering as torture, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will be able to claim his testimony was coerced.  Combine this with Obama and Holder's guarantees of a favorable outcome, and there is a legitimate legal basis to have the case thrown out allowing this murderer to walk free.  If the case actually makes it to court, the defense can argue that any verdict was the result of an unfair jury.  Any decent defense lawyer could argue the court's proximity to ground zero precludes a valid, fair result.

Once in the United States and granted a place in our courts, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will have a right to an attorney, or in the more sinister case, the right to defend himself.  Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has already confessed and apparently desires martyrdom.  Though he may have no desire to win the case, he could pursue it regardless of his endgame in order to fully enjoy the discovery process.  As Khalid Sheikh Mohammed will be granted legal access to any testimony the prosecution intends to use against him, he will be able to dutifully report back to Al-Qaeda a list of candidates for far less humane execution, not to mention effectively compromise any of our intelligence agents in the area.

Finally, are we really expected to believe that Eric Holder made a decision of such significance after speaking to only to his brother and his wife?  That means he left out the Department of Defense; the Department of Justice; the Governor of New York; the Mayor of New York City; the President; the Congressional Security committees; the CIA, FBI, and NSA; the New York Marshals that will be charged with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed's security; any judges; representatives from the New York prison system; the New York Attorney General; and the Chief Justice of New York among others.  If Holder's statement is true, then he's got an ego on par with Obama, and apparently he thinks none of the people listed have any valid input or any reason to disagree with his decision.  Eric Holder's sophomoric arrogance and judicial incompetence is astounding.  Rather than rationalizing this decision, Congress should be calling for a vote of no confidence in this man's ability to serve as our nation's Attorney General.

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