Attorney General Eric Holder:
I knew this decision would be a controversial one. It was a tough call. Reasonable people can disagree with my decision. . . .
I am a prosecutor. My aim is to select the venue where the government will have the greatest opportunity to present the best case . . . The venue where we are most likely to obtain justice for the American people is in federal court. . . .
We know we can prosecute terrorists in our federal courts safely and securely because we have been doing so for years. . . .
We can protect classified information during trial. . . .
Khalid Sheik Mohammad will have no more of a venue to spew his ideology in a federal court than he would in a military commission. . . .
There is nothing common about the treatement of Khalid Sheik Mohammad, and I will direct prosecutors to seek the most uncommon penalty.