[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 68 (Tuesday, May 5, 2009)]
[House]
[Pages H5099-H5100]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                UYGHURS

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Virginia (Mr. Wolf) for 5 minutes.

[[Page H5100]]

  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I was the author of legislation in 1998 that 
created the National Commission on Terrorism, whose report and 
recommendations were, unfortunately, ignored by both the Clinton and 
the Bush administration prior to 9/11.
  Fast forward to today, and you can understand my concern when I hear 
that Attorney General Eric Holder is preparing to release trained 
terrorists into the United States. Several media outlets have been 
reporting that a decision is imminent on the release of Uyghurs 
presently detained at Guantanamo Bay. These detainees have been held at 
Guantanamo Bay since 2002 after being captured at terrorist training 
camps affiliated with al Qaeda.
  Information I have received indicates these detainees may be far more 
dangerous than this administration has led the American people to 
believe. These detainees have been taught how to kill and terrorize by 
the same terrorist networks affiliated with the attacks on September 
11, the USS Cole, U.S. embassies in Africa and the brutal beheading of 
Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl. Yet Eric Holder is 
considering releasing them into the United States.
  Both the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security have reportedly 
raised concerns about the release of these detainees, who are members 
of the Eastern Turkistan Islamic Movement, a terrorist organization 
affiliated with al Qaeda. But yet Eric Holder will not release the 
information.
  Let me be clear, we are not talking about transferring these people 
to prisons in the United States. They would be released free and clear 
to roam through your neighborhood, shop in your shopping malls and go 
wherever they want to.
  And yet the Congress has not been briefed on this. We have called for 
briefings from numerous agencies but have been told by the agencies 
that the Attorney General's office will not allow them to come to the 
Hill.
  This is, in some respects, basically a cover-up. That's right, the 
Justice Department will not allow career FBI and other government 
officials, who understand the issue, to come to the Congress to tell 
the Congress who these people are and what information has been 
prepared.
  During his appearance before the Commerce-Justice-Science 
Appropriations Subcommittee, the Attorney General promised he would not 
play ``hide and seek.'' Now he is hiding. He is hiding and keeping 
information from the Congress, and, more importantly, because the 
Congress doesn't appear to be doing anything about this, keeping the 
information from the American people.
  All information, Mr. Speaker, about the capture and the detention of 
the detainees should be declassified, including a threat assessment for 
each detainee who would be released into the U.S. The American people 
need to see this information, all of it should be released.
  Eric Holder cannot just pick and choose what classified information 
he wants to release, only that which justifies his case, and cover up 
and keep quiet the others. These people should not be released into the 
United States.
  Would you want to have trained terrorists living in your 
neighborhood? The answer is no, and I believe that Congress also is 
shirking its responsibility for not getting this information before a 
decision has been made.

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