HILLSBOROUGH: Rep. Lance tours Guantanamo Bay detention facility

   Congressman Leonard Lance participated in a daylong, bipartisan congressional visit to the U.S. Naval Base Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on Friday, May 20.
   Mr. Lance, who represents Hillsborough in the 7th District, received briefings from U.S. military leaders, and toured the base and detention center, which holds about 170 unlawful combatants, including terrorist trainers, terrorist financiers, bomb makers, terrorist recruiters and former Osama bin Laden bodyguards.
   ””“I observed a state-of-the-art detention center where all detainees are treated well in a humane manner,” Mr. Lance said.
   Mr. Lance also said he saw a new courtroom built to try military combatants there. Last year Mr. Lance opposed the Obama Administration’s plans to try 9/11 mastermind Khalid Sheik Mohammed and co-conspirators in a civilian court in New York City. Mr. Lance was an original sponsor of legislation barring U.S. taxpayer funds for the trials of the 9/11 conspirators in civilian court.
   “In my opinion, there is no need to build a new facility in the United States,” at considerable taxpayer expense, he said.