Press Releases

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                           

December 16, 2009                                                                                                  

CONTACT: Press Office

202-863-8614    

WASHINGTON – Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele released the following statement today:

“The decision by President Obama to transfer up to 100 detainees from the U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay to a state prison in rural Thomson, Illinois, is yet another example of the Obama Administration and Congressional Democrats not listening to the American people.  This decision is not only a risky experiment with America’s national security but flies in the face of what Americans know to be in our best interest.  Even before President Obama signed the executive order to close Guantanamo Bay, the overwhelming majority of Americans opposed housing terrorists on U.S. soil and today it is no different.  With this announcement, President Obama has left little doubt that he is more concerned with America’s world popularity than the will and the safety of the very people who elected him president.  The American people have stated loud and clear that they don’t want terrorists in their backyards – it’s just a shame that President Obama and Congressional Democrats aren’t interested in listening.”