WASHINGTON — Attorney General Jeff Sessions is visiting Guantanamo Bay on Friday in a show of support for the prison he has called a "perfectly acceptable" place to detain new terrorism suspects, as opposed to holding them in the U.S. and having his own Justice Department try them in civilian courts. Attorney General Jeff Sessions Jeff SessionsThe Hill's 12:30 Report Sessions, deputy AG to tour Guantanamo Bay prison Senate Republicans: Leaks harming national security MORE and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, on Friday were set to visit the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to receive “an up-to-date understanding of current operations,” according to the Justice Department. “Recent attacks in Europe and elsewhere confirm that the threat to our nation is immediate and real, and it remains essential that we use every lawful tool available to prevent as many attacks as possible.”

Prior added that Sessions and Rosenstein would be “meeting with the people on the ground who are leading our government-wide efforts” at the prison. Even as an Alabama senator, Sessions has long been a vocal supporter of the continued use of Guantanamo and its military commissions, calling it a “very fine place for holding these kind of dangerous criminals.”

“We’ve spent a lot of money fixing it up,” Sessions told the conservative radio talk show host Hugh Hewitt in a March interview. And I think the fact that a lot of the criticisms have just been totally exaggerated.”

The support for Guantanamo now represents a complete reversal of eight years of efforts to close it.
United States Attorney General Jeff Sessions, along with Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and National Intelligence Director Dan Coats visit the Guantanamo Bay Detention Camp.