(MYSTIC) - Rob Simmons, candidate for U.S. Senate, today made the following statement reacting to a Hartford Courant report that the White House is considering moving the trial of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to New Haven and calling on Attorney General Blumenthal to speak out against it:
 
"For months, I have warned about the possibility that Connecticut could be identified as an alternative venue for the trial of 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed.  Today's report confirming that the White House is considering such a move should be extremely troubling to Connecticut's political leadership.  As New York finally realized, the costs and security risks that come with such a trial are enormous, and Connecticut is in no position to assume them any more than Manhattan.  KSM is responsible for the deaths of nearly 3,000 Americans in an act of war against our country.  He should be tried in an offshore military tribunal where he belongs.
 
"It is Attorney General Blumenthal's responsibility to stand up for Connecticut.  Thus far, he has openly backed these misguided civilian trials and failed to speak up for Connecticut's interests, even as the specter of a trial here gains steam. Instead of continuing his campaign against small businesses in Connecticut during the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression, Blumenthal would be well advised to address this critical national security situation which now rests squarely in his lap."
 
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