Wilson Hails Passage of Military Commissions Act

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 27, 2006

CONTACT: Kim Olive
(202) 225-2452 (Office)
(202) 420-9493 (Cell)

Wilson Hails Passage of Military Commissions Act

Will Preserve CIA Interrogation Program and Protect American Troops

Congressman Joe Wilson (SC-02), member of the House Armed Services Committee, today released the following statement upon passage of H.R. 6166, the Military Commissions Act. The bill passed by a vote of 253 - 168.

“After thorough discussion and negotiations, I am pleased the House, Senate, and the White House reached a workable compromise on the interrogation and prosecution of illegal enemy combatants. The overwhelming nature by which this bill was passed illustrates its importance in protecting American families and winning the Global War on Terrorism.

“We cannot forget that these terrorists seek to rob us of our freedoms. They have declared war on the United States and the entire modern world.

“While the United States never has and never will condone torture, the use of strenuous interrogation methods is imperative in gathering intelligence to protect our homeland. Concrete evidence proves that such methods produced intelligence leading to the capture of KSM - the mastermind of 9/11. Consequently, KSM supplied interrogators with information about planned attacks. For these reasons, I support the continued use of strenuous interrogation.

“With the clarification of Common Article 3, we are providing our men and women with the guidance they need to appropriately do their jobs. By defining impermissible actions, we can make certain that information gathered during interrogation can be used to prosecute terrorists and bring them to justice.”

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