On Fox News last night, Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) slammed law enforcement’s handling of the failed Times Square car bombing, saying it was “stupid” to read suspect Faisal Shahzad his Miranda rights and that it was “pretty doggone abysmal” that he was able to board an international flight before being taken into custody.
“They Mirandized him, which I always find stupid on the part of our people,” Hatch said.
The important thing is to get the intelligence. Fortunately after Mirandization, he apparently has opened up and been telling them a number of things and that’s good. Because he waived his Miranda rights. At least that’s what I’ve been told.
Shahzad was questioned Monday night and Tuesday morning under the “public safety exception” to the Miranda rule, FBI Deputy Director Pistole said this week. Shahzad was “cooperative,” and “provided valuable intelligence and evidence” — and then was Mirandized and continued talking.
Hatch also slammed law enforcement for almost letting Shahzad get away.
“The fact that he almost got away on a plane I think was abysmal,” Hatch said. “Fortunately we were able to catch him. The fact that they missed it on their computers is pretty doggone abysmal.”
Hatch also said he gets “a kick out of how the Justice Department people were, y’know, pounding their chests, claiming they’d really done this.”
“If that fella had not been an idiot, in other words, had been better trained, there would have been a tremendous, tremendous problem there.”
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