Obama On Critics Of Gitmo Detainees Facing Trial: Won’t Be Offensive ‘When Death Penalty Is Applied’

President Barack Obama
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President Obama dismissed critics who don’t like his administration’s plan to transfer detainees from Guantanamo Bay to the U.S. to stand trial for the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, suggesting if Khalid Sheikh Mohammed is found guilty and executed, they will stop being offended.

Obama did a round of interviews with the network White House correspondents traveling with him in Asia. Some of them are airing tonight, but a few networks have released clips.

NBC’s Chuck Todd asked Obama about some Americans offended by the decision to transfer detainees, including Mohammed, from Guantanamo Bay to New York.

“I don’t think it will be offensive at all when he’s convicted and when the death penalty is applied to him,” Obama said.

Todd pressed the president, suggesting he was already deciding how the trial would go.

“What I said was, people will not be offended if that’s the outcome. I’m not prejudging it, I’m not going to be in that courtroom. That’s the job of the prosecutors, the judge and the jury,” Obama said.

Here’s the remark:

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