Congresswoman Lynn Jenkins represents the Northeast Kansas district that includes Fort Leavenworth. She is familiar with the military detention barracks there and believes them ill-suited to handle the transferred terrorist detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.
On Monday, the Republican lawmaker will get a ground-level view of the other end of this discussion.
Ms. Jenkins will tour the Guantanamo detention facilities and meet with military officials there.
"This issue has drawn a lot of debate over the past few months and no doubt will draw much more in months ahead," she said Friday, "so I think it is important to have a first-hand knowledge of the facility."
The Kansas freshman met during the week with Rep. Howard "Buck" McKeon, a Californian recently chosen to be the top Republican on the House Armed Services Committee.
"I am confident he understands the negative consequences that would come with transferring terrorist detainees from Guantanamo Bay to Fort Leavenworth," she said.
Ms. Jenkins and Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback have taken leading roles in trying to prevent detainees from be moved to the region once the Guantanamo facility closes.
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