Feinstein supports sending Gitmo prisoners to California

By David Edwards and Daniel Tencer
Sunday, September 27th, 2009 -- 12:07 pm
Share on Facebook Stumble This!

feinstein16 Feinstein supports sending Gitmo prisoners to CaliforniaKit Bond: Detainees would attract radicals to their location if housed in US

California's Sen. Dianne Feinstein says she would be okay with transferring Guantanamo Bay detainees to facilities in California, so long as it's a maximum security prison that has been set up to accommodate them.

In an interview with Fox News' Chris Wallace, the senior senator from California said: "I'm one who strongly believes that Guantanamo should be closed. And I believe it can be done. I'm also one that's somewhat familiar with prison structure in the United States, and I know that there are maximum security prisons from which no one escapes ... which are isolated from neighborhoods, and no one is going to put these people in anyone's neighborhood."

"So you're okay with these detainees going to California?" Wallace asked.

"Yes," Feinstein replied. "In a maximum security prison -- I don't worry about it, provided the prison is set up to accommodate it and I believe we have facilities that are."

Story continues below...

President Barack Obama ordered the closing of the Gitmo facility as one of his first acts as president. A White House official said on Saturday that the administration is close to making a decision on what to do with the detainees.

But recent news reports suggest the Obama administration may not meet the end-of-year deadline the president set out for the closure. Defense Secretary Robert Gates said on Sunday that "it's going to be tough" to meet the deadline. Gates said he "doesn't think it's a problem to push back the date — as long as there's a good plan showing progress toward closing it," AP reported.

Sen. Kit Bond, Republican of Missouri, disagreed with Feinstein on the matter of Gitmo detainees.

"I think Guantanamo is the best place to hold these hardened criminals," he said on Fox News Sunday. "We don't want to put them in our general population, where they have and will radicalize other prisoners. They will draw their friends in al Qaeda to come in to the area from the outside."

But Sen. Bond did suggest one location in the United States he would be okay with: Just off the coast of San Francisco.

"I wouldn't mind seeing them in Alcatraz, but my California friends have a minimal amount of high enthusiasm for that," he said.

This video is from Fox's Fox News Sunday, broadcast Sept. 27, 2009.



Download video via RawReplay.com

Share this article:
  • Print
  • email
  • Digg
  • Reddit
  • StumbleUpon
  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Story comments are below...

  • I guess the prison industry in California needs a boost!?

    Are these captives EVER going to receive fair trials???
  • Satan
    "California’s Sen. Dianne Feinstein says she would be okay with transferring Guantanamo Bay detainees to facilities in California, so long as it’s a maximum security prison that has been set up to accommodate them." - Supporting imprisonment without trial makes Diane a complete piece of shit, I wish nothing but the worst and most horrible things to happen to her.
  • gitmo has been the greatest tool for international terrorists. obama has to make drastic changes from the shrub administration. so far obama is shrub/lite. our judicial system is blind to justice. they do not want many at gitmo to come to trial, fearing that they have held these people captive for all these years for no reason. many were turned in for a bounty, and the heresay that they were terrorists.
  • kodysmom
    Correct me if I'm wrong. Aren't we here in California attempting to send our own prisoners elsewhere due to overcrowding and inadequate healthcare? Aren't we under judicial orders to reduce our prison population by something like 40,000 inmates? And DiFi wants to IMPORT more prisoners? What's wrong with this picture?
  • CaptBebops
    She's the best senator the Prison Industrial Complex can buy. Recall Diane. California loves recall elections but can't afford them.
  • gr8fuldaniel
    Feinstein (R-CA) seems to forget our prison system is so grossly overcrowded and underfunded we are going to be setting prisoners free when Arnie is forced to sign the order. He postponed the releases hoping the judges would order it and absolve himself of culpability. Feinstein, the republican warmonger should have been impeached along with the retard Arnold, long ago.
  • gr8fuldaniel
    I live in California and if I am not mistaken ALL of our prisoners are charged and convicted.

    Does Feinstein (Republicunt- CA) want to change THAT??
  • nader paul kucinich gravel
    8 more years just like the last 8?
    Gates speaks as if he is a Cheney clone.
    Judeofascists loved promoting their "Islamofascism" propaganda.
    Carrots(bribery) Sticks(murder) Coercive Diplomacy(extortion & blackmail).

    Did you see all the same bloodthirsty AIPAC-paid recycled neocon shills on TV selling more war for profit?

    Watch as they pretend to know nothing of the mounting 9/11 evidence, whistleblowers, & leaks that point to them
  • Captain Obvious
    Wow, so many uneducated people here. Gitmo prisoners, if they were transferred to California, would be put in federal prisons here. Funded by the federal government.

    Arnold is dealing with problems in the state prisons, funded by state money, not federal. Talking about California prison funding problems has nothing at all to do with anything regarding Guantanamo prisoners. They would not be set free from anything Arnold is doing.
  • Liz
    I think we should close Gitmo and reopen Alcatraz Prison lets face it they won't be able to escape and security would be so much easier to control on the island.
  • 7324834
    California? Uh, no senator. Send them to the state where the village idiot who created them with his asinine policies lives, Texas.
  • jtbear
    The entire point of Gitmo was that place is "outside" the US. So, if they bring the Gitmo guys into the country then they can begin to bring court action to free them AND put more pressure on the administration to free these people, investigate torture, and put the Shrub crime family where they belong: In Gitmo.
  • DavidGaffaney
    However if a child or an adult who is visually impaired blind date uncensored decides that playing a musical instrument is something they would find beneficial, then by all means, there should be every consideration made just as you would for a sighted individual.
blog comments powered by Disqus