E-News Update: No Terror Trials in Western Pennsylvania

Dear Friends,

If there’s one issue where there should be little disagreement and bring together both parties, it should be joint opposition to hosting the 9/11 terror trial on Pennsylvania soil — and the danger we'd needlessly be inviting into our own backyard. I was wrong.

Over the weekend, I drafted a letter to President Obama and Attorney General Holder denouncing in the strongest possible terms any effort to bring the September 11th terror trials to western Pennsylvania. You can watch a news story about it on ABC 4 here.

These terrorists have, since their capture, been imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and should be tried in military tribunals there — not in United States civilian courts. Holder and the Administration disagree, and are now searching for an alternative location to host a trail for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four other terrorists.

I asked every Pennsylvania member of Congress, Republican and Democrat to co-sign the letter. No inflammatory rhetoric. No political shots. Just a flat out expression of deep concern for Western Pennsylvania.

While I received unanimous support from Republicans, not one Democrat would agree to sign on, but instead, issued their own individual press releases. It seems they are afraid to take on the administration on this issue, and I suppose they assume the President will take a gander on their websites when he has some free time to read their press releases. That’s sad and wrong.

This issue gained steam late last week, when the administration signaled the original site for the trial - New York City - would not pan out after Mayor Mike Bloomberg and Democratic lawmakers including Senator Chuck Schumer, raised concerns that the cost for security could be hundreds of millions of dollars, even as much as $1 billion.

Additionally, the President’s draft budget, released Monday, showed $200 million in federal funding for security and other costs related to the trial, proving that the plan is to continue pushing to host this trial on US soil. Because the Western District of Pennsylvania under the Justice Department includes Somerset County, where Flight 93 went down on that terrible day, federal courthouses in Erie, Johnstown or downtown Pittsburgh are potential new locations.

Worse, Governor Rendell is playing coy — saying he’s “not dead set against” holding the trials here. To me, that means he’s leaving the door open to strike a deal on federal funding, especially if he’s not against it outright before even considering the issue of costs. While the state is facing major budget hurdles, the seriousness in the danger these trials present to Western Pennsylvanians should never be a bargaining tool to gain more federal funding to fill a budget hole.

I have very real concerns about the likelihood that other terrorists would target judges and jurors, and put our neighbors at risk. That should be our only concern.

Hosting these trials on US soil is not required by law or frankly, needed at all. The solution is simple — hold these trials not in civilian courts, where terrorists will be afforded the same rights as American citizens, but instead in military tribunals as originally planned, in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. History shows us that this is the best course of action.

Sincerely,

Tim Murphy