Senate Proceeding on Nov 5th, 2009 :: 7:33:25 to 7:38:30
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7:33:21 to 7:33:43( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Sessions: notified of the senate's action and the senate then resumes legislative action. the presiding officer: is there objection? without objection. mr. sessions: mr. president? the presiding officer: the senator from alabama. mr. sessions: mr. president, i would just like to speak in suprt of senator graham's

7:33:25 to 7:38:30( Edit History Discussion )
Speech By: Jeff Sessions

7:33:44 to 7:34:07( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Sessions: amendment dealing with the trial of 9/11 terrorists in federal court. and it, in effect, would prohibit the administration from doing that by denying funding for any such trials. this is a very important matter. one of the things that we

7:34:08 to 7:34:28( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Sessions: learned that this country had made a mistake in treating people who are at war with the united states who attempt to destroy the united states as normal criminals and that they should be tried in court. we learned that the only effective way to deal with persons like that is to treat

7:34:29 to 7:34:53( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Sessions: them as prisoners of war or unlawful combatants, which is un -- or people who violate the rules of war and all these individuals do basically with the way they conduct themselves. so we would try them as -- according to military commissions. the constitution makes reference

7:34:54 to 7:35:17( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Sessions: to military commissions, and they can be tried fairly in that method without all the -- the rulesnd procedures that we cherish so highly courts for the normal trials of normal crimes that people are accused with in this country.

7:35:18 to 7:35:39( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Sessions: i spoke about almari just last week, who came to the united states september 10, he had met bin laden, he had been in afghanistan to a traing camp, he had a goal pretty dleerl

7:35:44 to 7:36:05( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Sessions: participate i -- prettyclearly to participate in an attack on the united states. and it seems pretty clear because he came one day before 9/11. and he was tried by a federal judge who apparently gave a coiction but sentenced him to, in effect, seven years. i mean, he had traing in bomb making and that kind of thing. he had done other acts that

7:36:06 to 7:36:26( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Sessions: indicated an intent to kill american people, innocent civilians, in a certificate syrup certificate rip tishes way as a result of war. and as a result of that i think he should have been tried by military commission. and he wasn't.

7:36:27 to 7:36:47( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Sessions: and we learned, as one of the professors said in commenting upon this case, it raises questions about the ability of our normal federal court system to try these people who may be subject to having the courthouse attacked in an attempt to free them, jurors may feel threatened because they are willing to kill for -- to promote their agenda or their allies are.

7:36:48 to 7:37:08( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Sessions: courthouses have to be armed and guards all around and people on top of them to protect the trial throughout the trial, and they could be tried effectively by military commission. so senator graham is serving the national interest in raising this issue. it's not a little-bitty matter. it really is correct and he's

7:37:09 to 7:37:29( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Sessions: got a good idea about it. he's handled it in a way, focuses narrowly really on the 9/11 issue, for those who participated in that attack. and i think that's at least what we should do today, and we need

7:37:30 to 7:37:50( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Sessions: to have a sincere analysis of the determination by this administration to try more and more cases in federal court when they've been captured by the military. and, in fact, they say there is a presumption in their commission report to date that they would be tried in federal courts rather than military commissions. i think that's very dangerous

7:37:51 to 7:38:13( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Sessions: because military people don't give them miranda warnings when they're arrested, they don't do the kind of things that are necessary to maintain chains of custody or into trials in a way that we would normally do. and these kind of procedures could cause trials to be extremely difficult, could bring witnesses from the battlefield and the like.

7:38:14 to 7:38:30( Edit History Discussion )

Jeff Sessions: it's just not the way that i'm aware any country tries people who are at war with them. any country. all countries provide for military commissions against unlawful combatants i think who attack the united states. i see my friend, senator chambliss, here and i know he