Remember the days when the Left constantly accused the Bush administration of politicizing the Justice Department? Well, on Sunday we got a taste of politicizing Justice, Obama-style.
The Washington Post reported on the delay in announcing a venue for the trial of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other terrorists responsible for the 9/11 attacks. Since February, the Post notes, the administration has been promising a decision would come soon, but now it appears no decision is coming anytime soon.
The Post reports:
Now, the decision on where to hold the high-profile trials of Mohammed and four others accused of being Sept. 11 conspirators has been put on hold and probably will not be made until after November’s midterm elections, according to law enforcement, administration and congressional sources.
In an unusual twist, the matter has been taken out of the hands of the Justice Department officials who usually make prosecutorial decisions and rests entirely with the White House, the sources said.
“It’s a White House call,” said one law enforcement official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss internal deliberations. “We’re all in the dark.”
So let’s get this straight. The president has taken charge of the decision, and has decided he will not make a decision until after the November elections—presumably in order to avoid giving the GOP a powerful campaign issue this fall. Families of the victims of 9/11 will see justice delayed in order to help the Democrats keep control of Congress.
Attorney General Eric Holder has denied any political motive. “The political thing . . . the fact of the elections, is not a part of the conversations at all,” he said at a June 17 news conference.
Let them prove it by announcing a venue for the trials. As the Post points out, Holder told Congress in April that the review would be completed in “a number of weeks.” That was 11 weeks ago. There is no excuse for delaying the decision another four months—unless it is being timed according to the electoral calendar.
