The Pentagon’s chief spokesman brushed off President-elect Donald Trump’s Tuesday call to cease Guantanamo Bay detainee releases, saying the U.S. military only serves one commander in chief at a time.
President Barack Obama is reportedly slated to release 18 prisoners before the end of his term, the largest single release in the prison’s history. Obama pledged to close the prison in 2009, and has worked tirelessly to transfer as many detainees as possible.
“We’re going to carry out the appropriate policies set forth by the commander-in-chief,” Pentagon Spokesman Peter Cook told reporters after Trump tweeted about the releases Tuesday. Trump’s tweet highlighted the danger of freed terrorists returning to the battlefield.
In the last batch of prisoners released by Obama, all 15 were deemed “High” risk in Department of Defense (DOD) reviews. Each detainee’s DOD review, according to The New York Times Guantanamo Docket, noted “he is likely to pose a threat to the U.S., its interests, and its allies.” Several of the detainees were also classified as “HIGH intelligence value.”
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