This week several House committee chairmen wrote to President Obama criticizing the decision to bring accused Somali terrorist Ahmed Warsame to New York to be tried in a federal court. Legal and military experts dispute the core claims of the letter. Its complaints come as Congress debates radical provisions in the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act which would give this and future presidents fewer options, not more, to use against terrorism suspects. They represent an odd choice for politicking, as the administration’s approach to the Warsame case and counterterrorism more broadly have drawn strong support from editorial boards and public opinion.

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