* President Obama reportedly bypassed a congressman’s objection and agreed to buy the long-vacant Thomson prison from Illinois, according to US Sen. Dick Durbin…
“Finally, the Department of Justice this afternoon is going to present the $165 million check in the Northern District court of Illinois in Rockford to pay for the transfer,” said Durbin, who acknowledged it was a “rare” move to bypass a high-ranking House Appropriations Committee member. “At this point, the president had to intervene and do this directly. I hope people understand he’s doing it for his state.”
Veteran Virginia Republican Rep. Frank Wolf had long blocked the federal Bureau of Prisons purchase of the prison from the state of Illinois, saying he did not trust the Obama administration’s vow not to transfer suspected terrorists from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, into the facility despite a federal law that prohibits such moves. Wolf also said he did not trust Attorney General Eric Holder, whom the GOP-led House found in contempt for the failed Fast and Furious gun-walking program. […]
Durbin, the state’s senior senator and No. 2 Democrat in Washington, said funds for the purchase came from unspent money in the Department of Justice budget for the federal fiscal year that ended Sept. 30.
The Thomson prison issue also has been at the forefront of the highly competitive 17th Congressional District contest between freshman Republican Rep. Bobby Schilling and Democratic challenger Cheri Bustos. At one point, Schilling urged the state to renegotiate the sale price to $75 million in an effort to try to get the support of his fellow Republican, Wolf. But citing the state’s fiscal problems and its previous negotiations with Justice Department officials, Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn’s office rejected Schilling’s effort to lower the price.
Durbin despises Schilling (Bustos is Durbin’s candidate all the way) and wanted this thing done before the election. Schilling can’t take any real credit now because he wanted the price lowered so much. That was never a good move on Schilling’s part because the state really needs that cash.
Durbin wins this round. Big.
*** UPDATE *** The DC obstructor responds…
Wolf says he’s deeply troubled by the sale. He says it’s an “unprecedented directive” to “circumvent Congress.”
Pshaw.
It was a legal maneuver to circumvent a single, obstinate, delusional congresscritter.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Sour grapes? Looks like it…
Congressmen Don Manzullo (IL-16), Bobby Schilling (IL-17), and Dave Loebsack (IA-02) today released the following statement on the Obama administration moving to purchase the Thomson Correctional Center from the state of Illinois:
“The bottom line is that this is a welcome development for our region, particularly those who have been struggling to find good jobs. Thomson Correctional Center has been sitting empty for 10 years, costing the residents of Illinois millions of dollars in upkeep and keeping many Illinoisans and Iowans out of work each year.
“We have been working together towards the same goal of reaching across the divide, finding a solution, and bringing these jobs to our area without moving detainees from Guantanamo to U.S. soil. If the Administration was willing to move on Thomson without closing Guantanamo all along, we question why they waited this long before taking action. But as the old saying goes, ‘There’s no limit to the amount of good you can do if you don’t care who gets the credit.’”
*** UPDATE 3 *** Gov. Quinn and Sen. Durbin talk to reporters…
- walkinfool - Tuesday, Oct 2, 12 @ 12:39 pm:
Way to work it Dick! It’s the right thing to do regardless of the politics.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Oct 2, 12 @ 12:42 pm:
That’s old-school clout.
- Lil Enchilada - Tuesday, Oct 2, 12 @ 12:50 pm:
love it!
- In absentia - Tuesday, Oct 2, 12 @ 1:02 pm:
Don’t I remember a recent article about massive prison overcrowding in Illinois? Seems like Illinois might need it for its own use. I know the history, but now that the last play has been made I question the logic.
- Loop Lady - Tuesday, Oct 2, 12 @ 1:13 pm:
Good work by Durbin and the Quinn administration…well done.
- truthteller - Tuesday, Oct 2, 12 @ 1:16 pm:
Illinois does need the bed space, but now that it has the money, Quinn should use it to keep prisons open, so DOC doesn’t become even more overcrowded
- train111 - Tuesday, Oct 2, 12 @ 1:52 pm:
It may have been done to go around one ‘obstinate congresscritter’ but Drudge and Fox will spin it as Obama using dictatorial power to remove any obstruction to his impending marxist takeover of the country. :->
train111
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Oct 2, 12 @ 1:54 pm:
===Drudge and Fox will spin it===
Meh.
Can’t please everybody.
- anonymous1001 - Tuesday, Oct 2, 12 @ 2:44 pm:
“Durbin, the state’s senior senator and No. 2 Democrat in Washington, said funds for the purchase came from unspent money in the Department of Justice budget for the federal fiscal year that ended Sept. 30.”
Typical goverment mentality - must have all the copy machines or new PC’s at DOJ they need. Spend funds at the end of the fiscal year or lose them. Heaven forbid they return them to the taxpayers.
Not saying it doesn’t benefit the people in that area, just noting the ‘logjam’ broke five weeks before the election.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Oct 2, 12 @ 2:51 pm:
The “bottom line,” Reps. Manzullo, Schilling and Loesback, is that you couldn’t deliver for your constituents when your colleague, an obstructionist Virginia GOP Congressman was playing politics.
He played for a long time. He just didn’t play very well, didn’t think it through. Now, he just got rolled.
- Dan Bureaucrat - Tuesday, Oct 2, 12 @ 3:27 pm:
Incredible victory for Durbinator and Quinn.
For those who want to use the prison for overcrowding: remember, we couldn’t afford to even open it back when we were rolling in money.
Now, the IDOC had to cut 120 million from their budget, which is why they are closing 4 facilities.
So, what is your logic on that? Raising taxes?
- Aldyth - Tuesday, Oct 2, 12 @ 3:47 pm:
People in the area will be thrilled to have the economic boost and the jobs. Quite honestly, there’s a lot of folks who would be okay with them moving the Guantanamo Bay prisoners here. It’s not like they thought that nice people were going to be housed at the prison.
- the right stuff - Tuesday, Oct 2, 12 @ 3:47 pm:
someone please tell where it was appropriated? which budget passed and when?
even if DOJ and BOP spend, they still must run through congress>
- wert - Tuesday, Oct 2, 12 @ 4:43 pm:
How about putting that windfall into the pensions?
- Hello - Tuesday, Oct 2, 12 @ 4:56 pm:
Did Schilling et al forget that Congress passed a law forbidding Gitmo prisoners from being moved to a US prison?
Sour grapes indeed. The only logjam was the tea party wackadoodle from Virginia and he’s a member of their party, not Durbin’s or Obama’s party.
The Dems wanted to get this done a long time ago, which is why everyone knew what the price tag was.
- Demoralized - Tuesday, Oct 2, 12 @ 5:00 pm:
==If the Administration was willing to move on Thomson without closing Guantanamo all along, we question why they waited this long before taking action.==
Ummm, they Administration only said this about a gazillion times.
- Happy Returns - Tuesday, Oct 2, 12 @ 5:03 pm:
” Typical goverment mentality - must have all the copy machines or new PC’s at DOJ they need. Spend funds at the end of the fiscal year or lose them. Heaven forbid they return them to the taxpayers.”
Yup. It was a complete accident, and the budget guys at DOJ were totally surprised to find this “extra” money at the end of the year. It’s not like they would have had to do some cash management to make that happen…
- State Worker - Tuesday, Oct 2, 12 @ 5:29 pm:
Now take the money and put it in the retirement system!!!
- Boone Logan Square - Tuesday, Oct 2, 12 @ 6:02 pm:
Good work Sen. Durbin.
- dang - Tuesday, Oct 2, 12 @ 10:07 pm:
Boehner is doubling down with the gitmo prisoner transfer baloney. Are you honestly serious dude? Seriously? Conspiracy theories should be for common folk, not the leader of house of reps. Same goes to you too harry Reid. Politics is theater. Sad thing is it affects our lives.
- hisgirlfriday - Tuesday, Oct 2, 12 @ 11:12 pm:
Wow you weren’t kidding, dang.
“WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) issued the following statement on the Obama administration’s decision to ignore Congress and purchase Thomson Prison in Illinois, a backdoor move that may pave the way for the administration’s controversial attempts to import the terrorists housed at Guantanamo Bay to the United States”
http://www.speaker.gov/press-release/speaker-boehner-obama-administration-s-purchase-thomson-prison-backdoor-move-import