Court Rules Biden Administration Cannot Take Back the Gift It Handed to Three 9/11 Architects

Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin cannot nix the controversial plea deals struck with alleged 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and two other Guantanamo Bay detainees, according to a Monday military appeals court decision.

That means the three alleged terrorists cannot, as of now, face the death penalty for their alleged roles in the murder of 3,000 Americans through the deadly attacks.

Members of the U.S. Court of Military Commission Review decided unanimously that Austin cannot interfere with the plea deals, a move he attempted in August.

The deals were approved by Brigadier Gen. Susan Escallier, Ret., the very judge Austin appointed to oversee the cases against Mohammed and his accomplices, according to a report from The Washington Post.

The court ultimately decided that Austin can block Escallier from making future pretrial arrangements on behalf of the federal government but cannot toss the ones already made.

Defense Department officials could potentially ask for emergency review of the decision in the D.C. Circuit federal appeals court, according to Fox News.

But the Pentagon has not yet appeared to make such a move.

The decision comes before Mohammed, as well as defendants Walid bin Attash and Mustafa al-Hawsawi, are slated to face trial at Guantanamo Bay.

They could plead guilty to their alleged roles with 9/11, but they cannot be sentenced to death.

Advocates for those affected by 9/11 and senior Republican officials previously criticized President Joe Biden and his staff for striking plea deals with the alleged terrorists.

“Now just think about the point that we’ve gotten to. Joe Biden, Kamala Harris have weaponized the Department of Justice to go after their political opponents, but they’re cutting a sweetheart deal with 9/11 terrorists,” Vice President-elect J.D. Vance said in a campaign rally, per The Hill.

“We need a president who kills terrorists, not negotiates with them,” Vance added.

Austin also announced on Monday the release of Ridah Bin Saleh al-Yazidi from the Cuba prison to his home country of Tunisia, meaning that the Biden administration has released a total of four Guantanamo Bay detainees in just two weeks.

There are now 26 prisoners remaining at the facility.

The final days of the Biden administration have been dominated by several head-scratching pardons and sentence commutations.

But the emphasis on Guantanamo Bay detainees is particularly confusing.

Biden and his staff choosing to spend their precious few remaining days in the White House haggling over deals with the most notorious alleged terrorists of the past quarter century is without a doubt damaging to his legacy.

Even worse, the dysfunction of his team is decreasing the odds that justice will be served for our nation in some of the most deadly attacks on our soil and against our people.

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