The Democratic National Committee is
criticizing former Speaker Newt Gingrich and Senator Kit Bond for "playing
politics with terror trials," pointing to recent appearances by the two
men on television to make their point.
The DNC rebuked Gingrich for his
comments on "The Daily Show". In the interview, host Jon
Stewart pressed Gingrich on his condemnation of the decision to read Miranda
rights to Christmas Day bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab. Stewart remarked that
shoe bomber Richard Reid, who was detained during the Bush administration, was
also mirandized.
Gingrich responded that Reid was an
American citizen – a claim the former House speaker later admitted was not true
on Twitter. (click to watch Jon Stewart debate Speaker Gingrich here)
Bond, the Republican senator who has
called for the firing of John Brennan, President Obama's top counterterrorism
adviser, appeared on MSNBC to discuss the same issue.
Bond did not offer a clear answer when
asked the difference between the Abdulmutallab situation and the treatment of
Reid and Sept. 11 conspirator Zacharias Moussaoui, though he called the
decision to mirandize Reid, who like Moussaoui is serving a life sentence, a
bad idea.
"It's clear from both of these
appearances that Republican leaders are offering nothing but outright fallacies
in their effort to turn the President's actions on national security into a
political wedge," the DNC said in its release. "Between comments from
Gingrich and Bond, the Republicans have shredded any credibility they hoped to
have on this issue."
"It's utterly pathetic that in
their rush to fear-monger and demagogue our national security - not to mention
attack our law enforcement officials - Republicans can't even be bothered to
get their facts right," the DNC added.
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