Rep. Peter Hoekstra Tells CBN News: President Obama has "Put Hope Before Reality" in Closing Gitmo

When President Obama signed an Executive Order to close Guantanamo Bay prison, the first question many terrorism and intelligence experts asked was "well, what are you going to do with all the prisoners?"  After all, 250 hardened jihadists are currently being held at Gitmo; and as I reported on CBN News two weeks ago, the track record of those who have already  been released from the prison is troubling. In fact, several have returned to terrorism, and at least one has risen to a leadership position in Al-Qaeda's Yemen branch (his supposed "rehabilitation" by the Saudi government was apparently a smashing success). 

That's why so many are concerned about the President's decision: there are real fears that some of the terrorists currently being held at Gitmo will be free men once the prison is closed. The worst case scenario: some will be released on U.S. soil. It sounds crazy, I know. But as I write this, over two weeks after the President's Executive Order, there is still no word from the Obama administration as to where these men will be held. A prime example is the case of Gitmo inmate Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri. On Thursday, a military judge--acting on the President's orders--dropped all charges against al-Nashiri, a Saudi who's suspected of assisting al-Qaeda in the 2000 bombing of the U.S.S. Cole (which killed  17 U.S. sailors).

New charges can still be brought against al-Nashiri, and he will remain in prison for the time being.  But what if no new charges are brought? And how long will he remain in prison? Will an accused al-Qaeda member charged with helping engineer the deaths of 17 Americans be free to walk the streets? As with everything involving the decision to shut down Guantanamo, it's still very murky and up in the air. Given that the President had, for months on the campaign trail, promised audiences he would close Gitmo once elected, you'd think his administration would by now have a coherent, well thought out plan for Gitmo's aftermath. Right now, that doesn't seem to be the case.

This week on Capitol Hill I asked Congressman Peter Hoekstra his thoughts on the decision to close the prison. Hoekstra, a Michigan Republican who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, has been very critical of the President's move.

Click on the viewer above to watch Rep. Peter Hoekstra's comments to CBN News.