Brennan: Deal 'on the table' for terror suspect

[darrels joy]

The U.S. Government is offering the suspect charged with attempting to bomb an aircraft on Christmas Day, Omar Abdulmutallab, some kind of incentives to share what he knows about Al Qaeda, White House counterterrorism adviser John Brennan said Sunday.

Asked why Abdulmutallab should cooperate given his right, as criminal defendant, to remain silent, Brennan replied: "He doesn't have to but he knows there are certain things that are on the table... if he wants to engage with us in a productive manner, there are ways he can do that."

Asked if Abdulmutallab's willingness to talk changed once he had an attorney, Brennan declined to answer. "I'm not going to address what he did before or after he talked with a lawyer," the adviser said.

Brennan declined to say what criteria are used to decide whether a prisoner should be taken into criminal court or before a military commission. "There are no downsides or upsides in particular cases," he said. "What we're trying to do is make the right determination in particular cases."

http://www.politico.com/singletitlev...id=60127152001

Posted by Josh Gerstein 09:43 AM

http://www.politico.com/blogs/politi...r_suspect.html#