Gitmo North job lies: Says AP about Durbin and Quinn's claims

Yesterday Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, along with Sen. Dick Durbin--who once accused Quinn of being a ghost payroller--promoted the possibility of bringing 100 hardened terrorists to northwestern Illinois as a jobs creator.

But if Gitmo North sets up shop in Thomson, it won't be the jobs bonanza the two Democrats say it will be. The Illinois Republican Party lays out the harsh facts in a press release:

CHICAGO – Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady today expressed his disappointment in Illinois Governor Pat Quinn and Senator Dick Durbin’s deliberate attempts to mislead the public on the plan to move a terrorist detention facility from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba to Illinois.

Just hours ago, the Associated Press reported that "Colorado officials have not been contacted by the federal government about housing Guantanamo Bay detainees at federal prisons in the state, despite public comments that a facility in Florence is under consideration.”

While Quinn said a federal prison in Florence, Colo., and another facility in Montana were competing with Illinois over the GITMO move, “Colorado officials said they haven't been contacted by the federal government regarding housing Guantanamo prisoners in the state."

Quinn and Durbin have also misled Illinois citizens about the number of jobs the Thomson plan would create. The Illinois Democrats repeatedly told reporters that the plan would create roughly 3,000 new jobs. But in a press release distributed this morning, members of the Illinois congressional delegation reported that only 450 to 500 jobs would be created – with no guarantee those jobs would go to local communities:

According to a congressional briefing from officials at the Department of Defense and the Bureau of Prisons, between 450 and 500 new employees would be hired at annual salaries of $37,000 to $47,000 at the Thomson Correctional Center. However, no hiring preference is given to residents from the surrounding area. Local residents would compete against applicants from across the country. Additionally, new hires must be under the age of 37, and must be or become law enforcement officers.

While downplaying the security threats posed to Illinois by moving GITMO to our state, Governor Quinn has no problem exaggerating the move's economic impact or hyping a perceived competition," Chairman Brady said. Instead of looking out for our state’s best interest, Democrats will do whatever it takes to cover up their total mismanagement of the Illinois economy. Governor Quinn and Senator Durbin should stop playing politics with our security."

There's a perfect place for the enemy combatants to be detained: Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. It's secure, it has first-rate health care facilities, and it's already holding these brutes.

Technorati tags: Illinois Congress illinois politics Republican Senate Gitmo guantanamo War on Terror Durbin Patrick Quinn