Top Republicans in Congress Introduce Bill to Stop White House From Offering Plea Deals to 9/11 Terrorists
Reaching an agreement with the government, the pretrial agreement removed the death penalty as an option for punishment. Senate Republicans Tom Cotton, Intelligence Committee chair, and longtime Republican leader Mitch McConnell are spearheading a new bill, the Justice for 9/11 Act, to reinstate the death penalty as an option for the 9/11 terrorists. This bill would prevent the military court from offering plea deals, requiring a trial, and ensuring the death penalty remains a possibility in sentencing.
Additionally, the bill would keep the defendants on the Cuban island in solitary confinement and prohibit their extradition to another country. With Republicans now controlling both chambers of Congress and the presidency, the bill has a good chance of becoming law.
Representative Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., is introducing companion legislation in the House. He stated, “For the Biden-Harris administration to have offered a plea deal without the death penalty to the very people who planned the attacks that took the lives of almost 3,000 is a betrayal to our cops, firefighters, and 9/11 victims and their families. The Justice for 9/11 Act will nullify this horrendous plea deal and prevent any future ones from being offered to those who perpetrated this heinous attack.”
Trials for the suspected 9/11 terrorists have been drawn out for decades, with many cases still pending. The Justice for 9/11 Act aims to prevent the White House from offering plea deals, saying that those responsible for the 9/11 attacks deserve justice.
