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Washington, D.C. – Today, House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul issued the following statement on the Biden-Harris administration’s plea deal with al Qaeda’s Khalid Sheikh Mohammad, the mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

“Al Qaeda’s Khalid Sheikh Mohammed was the mastermind of the 9/11 terrorist attacks that killed nearly 3,000 Americans. I have served as a federal prosecutor and as deputy attorney general for criminal justice, where I oversaw the death penalty cases on appeal for the state of Texas. I also visited Guantanamo and saw KSM in his cell—a harrowing moment. I know from experience that if any case warrants the death penalty, it’s this one.

“Granting a plea deal that allows KSM and two of his accomplices to avoid the death penalty is an affront to justice and to the families of victims and the first responders who bravely served on that tragic day. And just yesterday, the administration added insult to injury by announcing its intent to close Gitmo and presumably bring KSM and his fellow terrorists onto U.S. soil.

“While the threat of global terrorism reaches its highest level in years, the Biden-Harris administration continues to project weakness and send the wrong message to America’s enemies.”

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