Sen JD Vance (R-OH), the Republican vice presidential nominee, took a shot at the Biden administration on Wednesday, criticizing a plea deal struck with three prisoners accused of helping plan the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
During a rally on Wednesday in Glendale, Arizona, Vance accused the Department of Justice of cutting the terror attack planners — who pleaded guilty as part of the bargain — slack in their deal.
“Just today, I heard that the Biden-Harris Department of Justice cut a deal with al Qaeda terrorist Khalid Sheikh Mohammed to avoid the death penalty. It was reported today,” Vance told the crowd. “Now, as someone who enlisted in the Marines to serve after 9/11, that is ridiculous, but it’s not surprising.”
Vance went on to bring up former President Donald Trump’s legal troubles, comparing how the DOJ has gone after the Republican nominee to the plea deal struck with the three prisoners.
“Now, just think about the point that we’ve gotten to. Joe Biden, Kamala Harris have weaponized the Department of Justice to go after their political opponents by they’re cutting a sweetheart deal with 9/11 terrorists,” Vance continued. “We need a president who kills terrorists, not negotiates with them.”
In a press release on Wednesday, the Defense Department said the plea deal was reached with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Walid Muhammad Salih Mubarak bin Attash and Mustafa Ahmed Adam al-Hawsawi.
The three men have been charged before for their roles in the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, once in 2008 and again in 2012. Ali Abdul Aziz Ali and Ramzi Bin al Shibh were charged alongside them in both cases.
No other details have been shared about the deal, but the New York Times reported that the three men will receive a life sentence, with the death penalty being off the table.
Top Republicans in Congress also shared their disapproval of the deal, with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) taking to social media to share their disagreements.
“The Biden-Harris Administration has done the unthinkable: they’ve agreed to a plea deal with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the September 11th attacks, and two of his accomplices,” Johnson wrote on X.
“The Biden-Harris Administration’s cowardice in the face of terror is a national disgrace,” McConnell wrote on X. “The plea deal with terrorists, including those behind the 9/11 attacks, is a revolting abdication of the government’s responsibility to defend America and provide justice.”