House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer said Friday he's opening an investigation into the White House's role in a recently announced plea deal that allows three terrorists who plotted the 9/11 attacks to escape the death penalty.
The Kentucky Republican, in a letter to President Joe Biden dated Friday, requested documents and communications on the plea deal for accused 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and accomplices Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi.
The three, who have been in custody at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba for more than 16 years after their prosecution started, are expected to be sentenced to life in prison in exchange for pleading guilty to their roles in plotting the downings of four passenger jets in the 2001 attacks.
They are expected to enter the pleas at the military commission at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, as soon as next week.
Comer said in his letter the committee is seeking information to understand the role that the administration played in the negotiations and the "ultimate decision ot forego seeking the death penalty for three individuals who are charged with, among other crimes, the murder of 2,976 people."
The plea agreements come after 27 months of negotiations and had been approved by senior Pentagon officials, but the White House Security Council claimed President Biden played no role in the negotiations, said Comer.
"That White House officials and you, as President and Commander in Chief, would seek to distance your Administration from this decision is understandable given how absurd it is, but it is far from believable or appropriate," Comer said in his letter.
In addition to questions surrounding the White House’s role in this decision, the Committee is also concerned about the complete lack of transparency regarding the deal," said Comer. "The specific terms of the pre-trial agreements remain undisclosed to the public or families of the victims. You are allowing these terrorists to avoid the death penalty, signaling to our enemies that the United States is reluctant to pursue full justice against those who attack our nation."
He added in the letter that the Oversight Committee agrees with sentiments from retired police officer Kathy Vigiano, the wife of a New York City Police detective Joseph Vigiano, who was killed on 9/11.
"I am angry and disappointed that enemy combatants who killed thousands of Americans in our homeland are now able to exploit the U.S. judicial system to their benefit, receiving support from American taxpayers for shelter, food, and healthcare for the rest of their lives," Kathy Vigiano said.