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Kansas AG Questions Spending on Site Surveys to House GITMO Detainees

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Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt says President Obama’s administration may have violated federal law by spending money to scout locations to move Guantanamo Bay detainees. Federal law says money can’t be used to assist in the transfer of detainees from the Guantanamo Bay detention center to the U.S.

Schmidt’s office filed a lawsuit to get information. A document provided by the Department of Defense this week shows nearly $8000 was spent to survey Fort Leavenworth to possibly house detainees. Schmidt says that could violate the federal rules.

“If the department was willing to disregard the funding prohibitions in the past, it raises concerns about whether they will abide by them in the future,” says Schmidt.

In total, around $26,000 was spent to scout sites in Kansas, South Carolina and Colorado.

Some federal officials have said simply planning for a possible closure of the Guantanamo Bay detention center does not violate the spending law.

Kansas elected officials have opposed transferring any GITMO detainees to Fort Leavenworth.

President Obama wants to close the detention center because he says it's used as a recruiting tool for terrorist groups.

 

Stephen Koranda is KPR's Statehouse reporter.