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March 5, 2010

Report: Admin to Scrap Civilian Trial for Alleged 9/11 Mastermind
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And the Washington Post is reporting Obama administration officials are
nearing a decision to recommend trying alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid
Sheikh Mohammed in a military tribunal instead of in federal court.
White House advisers are said to have made the decision due to
bipartisan opposition to granting Mohammed a civilian trial. Marine
Colonel Jeffrey Colwell, the acting chief defense counsel at the
Pentagon’s Office of Military Commissions, criticized the rumored move,
saying it would be “a sad day for the rule of law” if a civilian trial
is abandoned. Colwell added, “I thought the decision where to put people
on trial—whether federal court or military commissions—was based on what
was right, not what is politically advantageous.”



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