Rep. Ryan Zinke, R-Mont., told Newsmax on Thursday that it is "stunning" that the Biden administration has reached a plea deal with three Sept. 11 terrorists.
"Well, I invite any American to tour New York [City] and look at the holes, the two holes [where the Twin Towers previously stood], and read the names of the first responders, the fire engine crews, and all that responded and lost their lives because of a heinous absolute evil, which this administration, it made a plea deal," Zinke said during an appearance on Newsmax's "Carl Higbie FRONTLINE."
"In my mind, you go after terrorists; you don't negotiate with terrorists. This is a long-standing policy that has been effective and the moment you start releasing documentation, moving terrorists, shutting down Gitmo [the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba] and bargaining with the worst ... the policy again, it's stunning."
The Defense Department said on Wednesday that Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the accused mastermind behind al-Qaida's Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States, has agreed to plead guilty. Mohammed and two accomplices, Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, are expected to enter the pleas at the military commission at Guantanamo Bay as early as next week.
In exchange for the guilty pleas, defense lawyers have requested that the men receive life sentences, according to letters from the federal government that were sent to relatives of some of the nearly 3,000 direct victims of the 9/11 attacks.
Zinke also commented on House Speaker Mike Johnson's statement on the plea deal, saying he "100%" supports Johnson's position that it was "a slap in the face" to the victims' families, who "deserved better from the Biden-Harris Administration."
"Look, these are the most evil men on the face of the planet that plotted the most horrific event in American history on terrorism," he said. "Again, I encourage every American to spend a little time … every American should see that monument.
"As [U.S.] secretary [of the Interior], I spent a lot of time there, but to read the names of American heroes and the civilians who died in that attack and have a plea deal. But, look, this is not the first time the administration has pleaded to terrorists.
"They released sanctions, billions of dollars to Iran. They criticize Israel when they hunt down and kill Hamas. It's really quite something. And this is exactly why we need a change of policy," Zinke said.
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