Obama reportedly weighs executive action to bypass congressional obstacle and close Guantanamo
President Barack Obama is said to be unwavering in his commitment to close the Guantanamo detention facility, so much so that the White House is drafting options that would allow him to do so through executive action.
The Wall Street Journal (sub. req.) has a report based on information from unnamed senior administration officials. A White House effort to avoid the congressional ban on bringing detainees to the United States “would be the latest and potentially most dramatic use of executive power by the president in his second term,” the story says.
Obama would prefer a legislative solution, but he is weighing all options, the sources told the newspaper. The two most likely options, if Congress extends the ban on detainee transfers to the United States:
• Obama could veto legislation containing the extended ban, the National Defense Authorization Act, which sets military policy.
• Obama could sign the act and include a signing statement saying restrictions on the transfer of the detainees infringe his executive power as commander in chief.
