The wounded warrior who was blinded by Omar Khadr’s grenade attack that killed Sgt. Chris Speer says Canadian Prime Minster Justin Trudeau should be charged with treason.
In an interview with the Toronto Sun on Saturday, Layne Morris says Trudeau’s decision to reward the former al-Qaida terrorist with a formal apology and $10.5 million cash settlement feels “like a punch in the face.”
“I don’t see this as anything but treason,” said Morris. “It’s something a traitor would do. As far as I am concerned, Prime Minister Trudeau should be charged.”
Morris is also angry that Trudeau delivered the “compensation” money to Khadr in secret so that the settlement would be unknown to any U.S. court. Morris, along with Speer’s widow, Tabitha Speer, were awarded $134 million in a civil suit aimed against Khadr.
“It feels like a dirty deal to me,” the former U.S. Army special force sergeant said. Morris notes that Khadr was also removed from Guantanamo Bay in secret by then-president Barack Obama and sent to Canada.
“He sure gets special treatment,” Morris said, noting that the Khadr’s life was saved by American medics who could have left him to “die like a dog.”
Morris is bewildered that one of America’s closest allies would sanction a payoff to Khadr.
“We were fighting the terrorists. They were the bad guys. Something is really off here,” he said. “I can’t believe any government would get involved in something like this.”
“The fact is Chris Speer and myself were fighting with Canadians in Afghanistan. We were alongside the PPCLI [Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry]. There was a Canadian flag flying along with the American flag at our base there, so it’s quite a thing that now Canada is giving millions to a guy who would attack a compound where Canadians were serving.”