Politics

White House changes tone on detainee provisions, reiterates veto threat

Vishal Ganesan Contributor
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In a striking departure from the White House’s official statement on its opposition the detainee provisions of the National Defense Authorization Act, Deputy National Security Adviser John Brennan told NPR that placing American citizens suspected of terrorist activity in military custody would infringe on their rights and make diplomatic outreach overseas more difficult.

“It’s very troubling, in terms of picking up somebody here on U.S. soil,” Brennan said during the interview on Friday.

“When I go overseas and I talk to other governments, talking to them about making sure that they handle their cases appropriately and not throw people into military detention, not throw them into a military court, hold them indefinitely without due process of law.”

Although the Obama administration already threatened to veto the bill, its original concern was that the controversial provision authored by GOP Senator John McCain and Michigan Democratic Senator Carl Levin would limit the president’s authority by mandating military detention for certain terror suspects.

GOP Senators Rand Paul of Kentucky and Mark Kirk of Illinois have opposed the provision from its inception on civil liberties grounds.

And although their warning seemed to fall on deaf ears in the Senate chamber itself — both Senators introduced amendments that failed to pass — they found an unlikely ally in The Daily Show host Jon Stewart, who spent nearly ten minutes railing against the provision.

Despite a Senate amendment that explicitly precludes the possibility of the detainee provisions affecting current law, Brennan’s statements indicate the administration still has serious concerns.

During a regular press briefing on Friday, White House spokesman Jay Carney reiterated the president’s veto threat and accused the Senate of “political micromanagement.”

“Any bill that challenges or constrains the president’s critical authorities to collect intelligence, incapacitate dangerous terrorists and protect the nation would prompt his senior advisers to recommend a veto,” Carney warned.

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