Obama Defends Gitmo Policy; Claims Only ‘Low Level’ Detainees Have Been Released

‘I am absolutely persuaded, as are my top intelligence and military advisers, that Guantanamo is used as a recruitment tool for organizations like ISIS’

KNOX: "One aspect of your Cuba policy is the closure of the detention center for suspected terrorists at Guantanamo Bay. I have two related questions on this one. One is we have just learned that someone released in 2012 has returned to the fight in a big way. What's your reaction to that? Does that worry you about the vetting process for releasing people that are there? And the other part of that is, if you do succeed in closing down that detention center, would you give the base back to Cubans? Lord knows they want it back?"

OBAMA: "Well, first of all, just in terms of Guantanamo policy generally, I'm absolutely persuaded as are my top intelligence and military advisers that Guantanamo is used as a recruitment tool for organizations like ISIS and if we want to fight them, then we can't give them these kinds of excuses. In terms of any kind of return to the fight by people who are released by ISIL, keep in mind that between myself and Bush administration, hundredths of people have been released and at the recidivism rate we anticipated. We assumed that they are going to be out of four or five or six hundredth people that get released, that a handful of them are going to be embittered and still engaging in anti-U.S. activities and trying to link up potentially with their old organizations. The judgment that we are continually making that there are individuals that are significantly more dangerous than the people who are already out there, who are fighting. What do they have, do they have the special skills, they have special knowledge that ends up making them a significant threat to the United States. So the bottom line is that the strategic games that we make by closing Guantanamo will outlay those low level individuals who have been released so far. In terms of facility of Guantanamo, we are far from having a conversation about that with the Cuban government. There is no doubt they would love to have Guantanamo back and I suspect that will be long diplomatic discussion that will outlast my administration."

KNOX: "All right. President Obama, thank you very much."

OBAMA: "Thank you. I enjoyed it."

KNOX: "I appreciate it. Thanks a lot."

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