in the united states as i seriously explored in the last year, i am confident that the justice system could have performed with the same distinction that has been its hallmark for over 200 years. now, unfortunately, since i made that decision, members of congress have intervened and imposed restrictions blocking the administration from bringing any guantanamo detainees to trial in the united states, regardless of the venue. as the president has said, those unwise and unwarranted restrictions undermine our counterterrorism efforts and could harm our national security. decisions about who, where, and how to prosecute have always been and must remain the responsibility of the executive branch. members of congress simply do not have access to the evidence and other information necessary to make prosecution judgments.