Obama Says He May Ignore Congress Limits on Guantanamo Transfers
- Congressional restrictions could violate constitution, he says
- President locked in battle with Congress over executive power
Hooded protestors take part in a demonstration against the Guantanamo Bay detention facility on Jan. 11, 2015, outside of the White House in Washington.
Photographer: MANDEL NGAN/AFP/Getty ImagesPresident Barack Obama said on Wednesday that he may ignore fresh congressional restrictions on transferring detainees from the U.S. prison at Guantanamo Bay, setting up another confrontation with Republicans over the limits of his power.
“The executive branch must have the flexibility, with regard to the detainees who remain at Guantanamo, to determine when and where to prosecute them,” Obama said in a statement Wednesday after signing a national defense policy bill that includes
the restrictions. He called restrictions on prisoner transfers a potentially unconstitutional violation of presidential authority.