WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Thursday backed away from his threat to send the suspect in the New York bike path attack to Guantanamo Bay, acknowledging in an early morning tweet that the military judicial process at the Cuban detention center takes longer than the civilian federal court system.
But Trump called again for the man to be executed, which could complicate the case for prosecutors and give defense attorneys a chance to argue the president's tweets hurt their client's right to a fair trial.
Trump tweeted Thursday morning that the case against Sayfullo Saipov, 29, "Should move fast. DEATH PENALTY!" He had tweeted Wednesday night: "NYC terrorist was happy as he asked to hang ISIS flag in his hospital room. He killed 8 people, badly injured 12. SHOULD GET DEATH PENALTY!"
His comments broke with longstanding tradition against presidents publicly commenting on criminal cases.
Trump on Wednesday, in seemingly off-the-cuff responses to reporters, said he would consider sending Saipov to Guantanamo, a notion the White House later reinforced by saying it considered Saipov to be an "enemy combatant." Authorities say Saipov was inspired by the Islamic State group when he veered into a city bike path in Manhattan on Tuesday, killing eight people.
But just a few hours later, the government filed federal terrorism charges against the Uzbek immigrant, signaling an intent to prosecute him within the U.S. The one-two developments marked a sharp disconnect between the president and his administration.
Trump said Thursday he would love to see Saipov prosecuted at Guantanamo, but tweeted that there is "also something appropriate" about keeping him "in the home of the horrible crime he committed."
Read Friday's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.