There is bipartisan support in the House of Representatives to refuse the possibility for 9/11 terrorists to be spared the death penalty. Republicans and Democrats called on the Biden administration to prevent a potential plea agreement for several of the September 11 masterminds such as Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other defendants.
Representative Michael Lawler from New York called the administration’s potential consideration of negotiating a plea deal with the terrorist masterminds as “outrageous” and “deeply disappointing” as we are nearing the 22nd painful anniversary where over 3,000 individuals perished on American soil.
Lawler is spearheading the quest, alongside Democrat Rep. Pat Rylan, and 32 other Republican members of Congress, including NY Reps. Elise Stefanik, Nicole Malliotakis, Nick Langworthy, Andrew Garbarino, Anthony D’Esposito, Claudia Tenney and Nick Lalota.
In a letter to the Biden administration, lawmakers explained that such actions would “be a grave miscarriage of justice, especially for the families of the 2,977 innocent civilians and first responders we lost that fateful day.”
“We owe it to the victims and their families to deliver justice – and that should mean the death penalty for these murderers,” the letter stated. The lawmakers called on the Biden White House not to enter “any pre-trial agreements which would remove the possibility of the death penalty and to work to conclude this process to see justice meted out on those who have committed these evil acts.”
The United States Department of Defense (DoD) sent a letter to the families of the 9/11 victims, outlining the measures currently being considered where the five terrorists would “accept criminal responsibility for their actions and plead guilty in exchange for not receiving the death penalty.”
The prosecution by the U.S. government against Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and several others held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has been troubled by repeated delays and legal disputes revolving around the legal ramifications of the interrogation under enhanced interrogation they underwent while in CIA custody.
The letter by the lawmakers informed families about the U.S. Office of the Chief Prosecutor negotiating and considering “entering into pre-trial agreements.”
While the plea agreement has not been finalized and might not be, “it’s possible that a pre-trial agreement in this case would remove the possibility of the death penalty,” the letter said.
As of right now, there is no official trial date.