FBI vs. DoD

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6:12 PM, May 20, 2009 • By MICHAEL GOLDFARB

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Politico reports on a very public clash among administration officials:

The Pentagon No. 3 official, Michele Flournoy, said the only way the United States can get European nations to accept some of the 240 detainees at the military prison is by agreeing to bring some of them to the United States as well.

But FBI Director Robert Mueller warned Congress that releasing some of the Gitmo prisoners in the United States would raise concerns that they might radicalize others, raise money for terrorist groups, or carry out attacks.

The FBI obviously has a better sense of the threat posed by transferring these detainees to American prisons -- or releasing them outright -- than the Department of Defense. After all, the Bureau is a federal law enforcement organization with a long history of dealing with such issues. Whatever Flournoy's expertise, we know for certain is not in prison management.