A group of House Republicans from New York are taking steps to ensure that alleged plotters in the 9/11 terrorist attacks cannot cut a deal to avoid the death penalty.
“The 9/11 Justice Act will ensure that no future plea deals are offered to these terrorists by requiring a trial and ensuring that the death penalty remains on the table,” Rep. Mike Lawler, R-N.Y., said late last week. “Anything less is a disservice to all those who made the ultimate sacrifice that day and in the months and years that followed.”
Lawler's district is just north of New York City, where nearly 23 years ago, two hijacked passenger planes crashed into the twin towers of the World Trade Center. The crash killed more than 2,600 people and its effects continue to touch the lives of first responders who developed cancer as a result of their life-saving rescue efforts.
LEGISLATORS AND FAMILIES OF 9/11 VICTIMS REACT TO DEAL WITH TERRORISTS: 'A SLAP IN THE FACE'
The plea deal for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and other 9/11 defendants was recently overturned. (AP Agency)
Hundreds more people were killed when passenger planes crashed into the Pentagon and an empty field in Somerset County, Pennsylvania.
The bill's introduction comes after the Department of Defense announced that three alleged plotters in the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks who were awaiting trial at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, had signed pretrial agreements with the U.S. government.
Details of the plea deals for Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak Bin Attash and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al Hawsawi were not immediately made public, but reports indicated they would avoid the death penalty.
BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION REVERSES AND REVOKES PLEA DEAL FOR 9/11 TERRORISTS
Rep. Mike Lawler is taking steps to ensure that 9/11 conspirators are ineligible for future plea deals. (Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
The White House said it had no role in the plea deals, which were revoked just two days after they were announced amid a mountain of backlash. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin was not consulted before the agreements were reached, the Pentagon said.
In addition to keeping the death penalty on the table, Lawler's bill would also prevent alleged conspirators from being transferred from Guantanamo Bay.
The measure is being co-sponsored by House Republican Conference Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., and Rep. Anthony D'Esposito, R-N.Y.
Blocking a plea deal would also ensure that the defendants would face trial, something several 9/11 family advocates said the deal was denying them.
9/11 shooter and two others reach plea deals while awaiting trial; families of victims 'very disappointed'
The Pentagon was one of three locations attacked by terrorists on September 11, 2001. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak, file)
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Brett Eagleson, president of a grassroots group formed by victims' families called 9/11 Justice, said he was “deeply concerned” by the plea deals in a statement earlier this month.
“While we recognize the decision to avoid the death penalty, our primary concern remains access to these individuals for information. These plea agreements must not perpetuate a system of closed-door plea deals, where crucial information is withheld without giving victims' families the opportunity to learn the full truth,” Eagleson said at the time.
