He's hasn't been allowed to defend himself. That's what we do in America. We give people -- no matter what they're accused of -- we give them their day in court. |
How does someone who is not a member of the armed forces of a nation state become an armed combatant? |
If they have evidence that he did something wrong, indict him and give him a forum where he can defend himself as every American citizen has been able to do for the last 225 years. |
It is moving the process along. |
It's a matter of how paranoid you are, |
It's a matter of how paranoid you are. What it could mean is that the president conceivably could sign a piece of paper when he has hearsay information that somebody has done something he doesn't like and send them to jail - without a hearing (or) a trial. |
Mr. Padilla is being treated as any American citizen. This case should be tried in a public courtroom, and will be tried in a public courtroom. |
Never before in our history has an American president claimed the power to be able to detain without charge and indefinitely an American citizen in a civilian setting. |
Once you open the door to a power like that, where does it end? ... There is a certain bedrock way we do things as Americans. If we believe someone has done something bad, we take them to court and prove it. It's a grade-school civics thing. |
One cannot discount the obvious -- Padilla has no information to provide. |
The issue that is before the court, that we have asked them to take up, is: does the president of the United States have the authority to sign a piece of paper and send someone to jail without criminal process, and have him held by the military. We say the constitution does not permit that. |
The plea that will be entered next Thursday will be 'not guilty'. |
They seem to be saying, 'We're not going to take this one, but we are watching and we are not going to let this happen again'. |
This case started in a very unusual way but I'm happy to say that today it is a criminal proceeding. Mr. Padilla is being treated as any American citizen charged with wrongdoing in this country. |
This case started in an unusual way, but I'm happy today it's in a criminal court proceeding. Mr. Padilla is being treated like any other American citizen in the criminal justice system. |