A group of House Republican chairmen wrote Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Attorney General Eric Holder today to protest any deal that might free the “blind sheikh” Omar Abdel-Rahman to Egypt for humanitarian and health reasons.
The lawmakers called recent reports that the inspiration behind the 1993 World Trade Center bombing could be released in a goodwill gesture to Cairo. He is currently serving a life sentence behind bars.
“Succumbing to the demands of a country whose citizens threaten our embassy and the Americans serving in it would send a clear message that acts of violence will be responded to with appeasement rather than strength,” the chairmen wrote. “…The release of Abdel-Rahman or any terrorist who plots to kill innocent Americans would be seen for what it is – a sign of weakness and a lack of resolve by the United States and its President.”
Signing the letter were Judiciary Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas), Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Intelligence Committee Chairman Mike Rogers (R-Mich.), Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon (R-Calif.), Homeland Security Chairman Pete King (R-N.Y.), Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.), and Appropriations subcommittee chairmen Frank Wolf (R-Va.) and Kay Granger (R-Texas).
“Let me say as clearly as I can, there is no plan to release the Blind Sheikh – there is no plan,” State Department Victoria Nuland said today. “To my knowledge we have not been approached about it recently by any senior Egyptians.”
The House chairman requested a briefing this week with representatives of each department to address the reports and the status of negotiations with Egypt. Congress recesses for the campaign season at the end of this week.
Imagine that they would release the Blind Mutt before they would release Pollard, the convicted spy for Israel?
Unbelievable.
Why is this even thought of as a possibility? Shouldn’t any administration’s response be “Of course we’re not going to release him.”?
Oh, right forgot for a second who’s president.
Why wouldn’t this administration release the Blind Sheik? They approved (or rather didn’t oppose) the release of a certain Libyan terrorist convicted of bombing a Pan Am flight on humanitarian reasons.
Let’s all sign our names . . . “large enough for the king to read without his spectacles!”
No donks?
What do these Congressmen base their concerns on? From what source did they get information that this is being considered? The only “source” I know of was via Glenn Beck. Has there been a serious, credible source as well?
“Let me say as clearly as I can, there is no plan to release the Blind Sheikh – there is no plan,” State Department Victoria Nuland said today.
If the state dept (or any other gov’t official) denies it, means it’s a done deal.
It’s the same as the POTUS “standing by so and so and have no intent on asking for resignation”, means the guy will be gone by the end of the week.
We have become weak and lead neither from the front nor from behind. If we do not want to lead, we should follow or get out of the way. I would prefer that we lead, competently.