House Proceeding 03-16-10 on Mar 16th, 2010 :: 12:05:05 to 12:18:35
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12:05:02 to 12:05:22( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: and the measure of -- one measure of the country is to the extent to which it honors those principles which we affirm. mr. wolf? >> thank you, mr. chairman. i want to deal with a couple of issues on the other side. one, to say

12:05:05 to 12:18:35( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Frank R. Wolf

12:05:23 to 12:05:43( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: recruitment tool may be in the eyes of some people, but before that time, there was the embassies bombing and tanzania. before that, there was the embassy bombing in kenya.

12:05:44 to 12:06:09( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: there was the 1993 attack from the world trade center, and there was 9-11. i sing to say it is a tremendous recrtment tool is like saying -- i think to say it is a tremendous recruitment tool is like saying, if we shut it down, they are going to get into another occupation. they are peoe who want to kill

12:06:11 to 12:06:31( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: us, so i think it is overstated to say it is the recruitment tool, and we will just shut it do. >> i would not say it is only a recruitmen say when you can have john mccain, president bush -- >> there has been such an emphasis that is major. >> it is certainly our

12:06:32 to 12:06:52( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: recruiting tool. i would not say it is a major recruiting tool, but it is a tool we can take out of the handsf those who are trying to recruit people to if you looked at those people who say, lets close guantanamo, senator mccain,

12:06:53 to 12:07:13( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: president bush, holland hall said it should be closed. >> -- collin powell all said it should be close. >> the gentleman was interviewed for 30 minutes. i watched the hearing. the gentleman said he was never

12:07:14 to 12:07:34( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: consulted. i assume you made the decision. secretary of paul lozano said she was not informed -- secretariat napolitano said she was not informed. i do not think you have the

12:07:35 to 12:07:58( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: first team on board in detroit at that time. that is the second thing i want to clear up. >> with regards to that, the to whether or not to member bridget to mirandize abdulmuttulab -- as to whether

12:07:59 to 12:08:19( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: to mirandaze abdulmuttulab. one was an iran-iraq expert. one was an explosives expert. good people trained, and as we looked at this question about how we arrange this, the one thing i think we should all try to agree on is we do not handcuff the

12:08:20 to 12:08:43( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: people trained at these kinds of things, these fbi agents, so when they are there and trying to make these on the scene determinations, they do not have to worry about what is washington going to sink. >> that gets back to my original. the team was not originally involved.

12:08:46 to 12:09:07( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: thirdly, it was christmas day, and it is nothing wrong with people wanting to be off on christmas day. if you looked at the interview on 60 minutes, the fbi agent -- his identification and understanding of the head of

12:09:08 to 12:09:29( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: saddam, he understood culture. it probably would have been a good idea to bring the top person who understood nigerian culture. maybe they were on vacation, and that is not bad. i am not criticizing that. it was christmas day, and you have some very good people in the justice department who, had

12:09:30 to 12:09:54( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: they been there -- and perhaps somebody in fbi could have been a little bit different. >> i disagree. i think the operation on the 25th was done really well. i think it was done even better post-25th, but i think there are things we can learn. we need to make sure we do it better every time.

12:09:58 to 12:10:20( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: >> thirdly, on bin laden, he dismissed it. you brushed aside -- brushed it aside. you may very well catch him, and he may very wl be alive. we do not know. sometimes we do not know what we

12:10:21 to 12:10:41( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: do not know, but if you do catch him, and i think the concern is you may very well be setting a precedent -- beheading daniel the president you are sitting there that should you capture osama bin laden alive, you may very well be setting a

12:10:42 to 12:11:02( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: precedent, so my question is if you catch osama bin laden alive, which would go to an article 3 court or a military court? >> i am not trying to dodge this. the possibility of catching him alive is infinitesimal. he will be killed by us, or he will be killed by his own people

12:11:03 to 12:11:24( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: so he is not captured by us. we know that. >> that was not a trick question. sincerely, what if we do catch him alive? that is the question. >> maybe i was being a little flip about reading miranda

12:11:25 to 12:11:45( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: rights, but i think that is what we are going to be dealing with. he is not going to be alive. >> the question is, what if he is alive? i think the gentleman raised a legitimate case. from my perspective, our government is setting a precedent with the civilian courts in new york city, and

12:11:46 to 12:12:06( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: that is a real danger. two other questions i want to ask. but the intelligence reform prevention act of 2004 and expanded jurisdiction. we had hearings when i was the chairman of this committee. since the change, how many human

12:12:07 to 12:12:32( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: rights violators have been successfully prosecuted or remove from the country? i saw an interview from somalia. we are finding all these bad people are showing up in the country. people have been in five in genocide in rwanda where 6000 people have been killed. we are finding charles taylor's son came in.

12:12:35 to 12:12:55( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: can you commit that you are aggressively looking? can you have somebody come by and give me the real information of all these people who have been involved in genocide and crimes against humanity that are now living in the united states, that you are

12:12:56 to 12:13:18( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: aggressively going after them to a police before them? >> i can arrange a briefing so i cannot share the exact numbers. one thing -- we're asking the

12:13:19 to 12:13:41( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: they merge with counterparts, because we think if we put those two groups together in our criminal division, we can be people you mentioned. >> i will offer the motion. if your people can come up and give me the language, i will see if i can get that passed.

12:13:42 to 12:14:03( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: i will also introduce the bill. i think we have an obligation to those people who have been persecuted to have these people they then see living in the united states to be prosecuted and the porters. >> i agree, and to the extent we can work -- to be prosecuted and deported.

12:14:04 to 12:14:26( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: >> i agree, and to the extent we can work with that, we will. >> i want to go back to prisons. this is an issue i care a deeply -- i care deeply about.

12:14:27 to 12:14:48( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: i thought you were reading. i did not want to interrupt. >> i am sorry. go ahead. >> the present rate. miles was talking to somebody involved in the prison rate and connected to the justice department. senator kennedy it -- we wanted this thing passed.

12:14:49 to 12:15:12( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: i would ask you on record if you promise me you would read them -- some of the cases of these people. some of them are very young.

12:15:13 to 12:15:34( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: we sent a letter back in july. you are duplicating everything, and just because the prisoner may not like it, the longer you delay, the more people are going to be raped. now you are telling me this will not be in place until 2011 and maybe 2012. that is unacceptable, and i do

12:15:35 to 12:15:55( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: not know why you did it. this was looked at carefully, and i think to reduce the funding for it, too, send me a message that the justice department does not commit. i want to commit. knowing that each day you do not

12:15:56 to 12:16:16( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: do it, someone in some prison, maybe a state prison, maybe a jail, maybe a federal prison, is going to be raped. we want to move this thing. we want to get it out and running. 2011 -- a year-and-a-half to two years, you're telling me you're

12:16:17 to 12:16:38( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: going to do away with this, contract out and do something to make this happen fast. >> in terms of funding, that is what i was looking at here. we have total funding of over $16 million available in 2010. $5 million in 2011 plus our current fund is really sufficient t finish the survey

12:16:39 to 12:17:00( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: process and to provide implementation to help our state and local partners, so we think we are capable of doing the job he would have done and the job by one to have done. -- the job i want to have done. we want to affect substantive

12:17:01 to 12:17:23( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: change so that the horrors too often visited upon people in our prisons -- that horror is a limited -- eliminated. i look forward to working on new -- with that. i think this is something that needs to be done and not tomorrow, but yesterday, and to

12:17:24 to 12:17:45( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: the extent we are not being as efficient, not being as aggressive as we need to be, it is good for you to bring that to my attention, but i can tell you i am sincere in my desire to make sure we get this done as quickly as we can. i think we have sufficient funds to do it.

12:17:46 to 12:18:09( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: i tnk the process we have laid out will make sure the changes we implement will be ones that will have a substantive impact and will not simply be things you see on paper that do not affect the lives of people in prison. that is my goal. >> i think it is fair to say most members of the commission do not agree with you.

12:18:10 to 12:18:30( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: with that, i yield back. >> thank you. i want to quickly address a couple comments made about guantanamo in addition to -- about guantanamo. in addition to president bush

12:18:31 to 12:18:35( Edit History Discussion )

Frank R. Wolf: for advocating closure of guantanamo, the assessment of