美国国家公共电台 NPR Guantánamo Has Cost Billions; Whistleblower Alleges 'Gross' Waste

 

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:

On this anniversary of the worst terrorist attack in American history, the men accused of plotting 9/11 are awaiting a trial that is set to begin in January 2021. But the place they're being held as they await that trial, the detention¹ facility at Guantanamo Bay, is under new scrutiny².

AILSA CHANG, HOST:

That is because a former top attorney there has filed a federal whistleblower complaint. He's alleging³ a gross waste of funds and gross mismanagement. He spoke⁴ exclusively to NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer, who has spent several months breaking down costs at Guantanamo and found billions spent so far and billions more expected.

SACHA PFEIFFER, BYLINE⁵: First, the whistleblower.

GARY BROWN: My two words to summarize my time at military commissions was wait, what?

PFEIFFER: That's retired⁶ Air Force Col. Gary Brown. He was legal adviser⁷ to the former head of Guantanamo's military court. This is the first time he's talked publicly about his allegations.

BROWN: At least a couple of times a week, there was an instance where someone would tell me some expense we had or some individual we were paying for. And then I would just have to stop in my tracks and say wait, what? How can that possibly be? Many of them involved unnecessary expenditures⁸ or waste of money.

PFEIFFER: In April, NPR asked the Pentagon for the cost of Guantanamo's military court and prison. First, it said $180 million a year. Three months later, it amended⁹ that figure to $380 million. That does not include the expense of Guantanamo's naval¹⁰ base. And several Guantanamo officials told NPR any Pentagon tally¹¹ is probably an underestimate because it doesn't include resources from other government agencies or service member salaries, like the 1,800 guards for Guantanamo's 40 remaining prisoners.

Since 2002, Guantanamo has cost U.S. taxpayers¹² at least $6 billion. Some of that has paid for government charter planes flying just a few passengers to and from the island, hundreds of thousands of dollars of government devices intentionally¹³ destroyed each year due to spills of classified information, some Pentagon-funded defense¹⁴ attorneys billing about half a million dollars a year, and total legal costs of nearly $60 million annually¹⁵ even though Guantanamo has had only one finalized¹⁶ conviction.

BROWN: I think it's a horrible waste of money. It's a catastrophic waste of money.

PFEIFFER: Michel Paradis is a lawyer for Guantanamo prisoner Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri, who is accused of orchestrating the USS Cole warship¹⁷ bombing.

MICHEL PARADIS: No matter if you want to see all of these guys shot in the street or whether or not you think Guantanamo itself is an aberration¹⁸ that should have closed, the only thing they've succeeded in doing is spending a tremendous amount of money, a shocking amount of money.

PFEIFFER: Paradis says there's another problem. Prosecutors²⁰ may be unable to get convictions because so much evidence is tainted²¹ by torture. If trials do result in convictions, appeals are expected to take another 15 years and cost at least another $1 1/2 billion. And if the prisoners are found not guilty at trial, the government has said in multiple documents reviewed by NPR that it has the right to keep them imprisoned²² anyway.

MORRIS DAVIS: There have been billions of dollars spent on Guantanamo that were totally unnecessary.

PFEIFFER: Morris Davis was Guantanamo's chief prosecutor¹⁹ from 2005 to 2007. He quit when he felt pressured by his superiors to use evidence obtained through torture. He calls the military commissions, quote, "an overwhelming failure."

DAVIS: What I wish they would have done is to move these cases into federal court where they would have been wrapped up years ago and saved the taxpayers a lot of money.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

UNIDENTIFIED PILOT: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Guantanamo. Captain...

PFEIFFER: I flew to Guantanamo in July to see where that money is going. The Defense Department restricted what I could record, but I was permitted to tape in parts of the tent camp where journalists stay - 60 large tents set on a former runway in the intense Caribbean heat, most of them heavily chilled and dehumidified to fend²³ off mold and insects.

Based on the week I've spent here, these generators²⁴ blow 24/7. So the tents are kept air conditioned around the clock, even though many of them are empty all the time.

That constant hum is emblematic²⁵ of the financial challenge of trying to run an American-style court system on a tropical island hundreds of miles from the U.S.

WYATT FEELER: To me, the biggest thing about this case that saps resources is the choice to hold it in Guantanamo Bay.

PFEIFFER: Wyatt Feeler is a Guantanamo defense attorney. Like all Guantanamo lawyers, he has to fly there anytime there's a hearing or anytime he wants to talk with his client since he's not allowed to contact the prisoners by phone.

FEELER: I have colleagues who have been on a flight, chartered flight down here with only a handful of people on the entire plane because it was scheduled, and people need to come down to see their client or to do other business. And here's a flight the government is paying for that has a handful of people on it.

PFEIFFER: How few?

FEELER: A former colleague told me one time he was on a flight with two people. That's the fewest I've heard. I've certainly been on flights where the vast majority of seats were empty.

PFEIFFER: And how big was that plane?

FEELER: You know, 737, sometimes even bigger.

PFEIFFER: Those charter flights cost $180,000 dollars roundtrip. Total Guantanamo travel is about $6 1/2 million a year. Technology is $7 1/2 million. That includes hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of hard drives, laptops and cell phones intentionally destroyed each year after security breaches²⁶.

The Pentagon would not supply a detailed²⁷ spending breakdown²⁸ because it says that could expose, quote, "sensitive information." The Pentagon does say it spends $56 million annually for prosecutors and defense teams. Guantanamo prisoners facing the death penalty are entitled to lawyers specializing in death penalty cases. Those are private attorneys paid by the Pentagon. Two military court judges have issued orders prohibiting disclosure of the fees paid to those attorneys. But according to a document obtained by NPR, their billing can be about $500,000 a year.

JOHN BAKER²⁹: Our job is to defend them. And I don't care what the cost is.

PFEIFFER: Marine³⁰ Brig. Gen. John Baker is chief defense counsel for the Military Commissions Defense Organization. That's basically the public defender³¹ agency for Guantanamo.

BAKER: This is a country that was founded on the concept of the rule of law and is held out across the world as the place where justice is done. That's part of the reason we keep plugging away and fighting to make sure that at every turn, we can make it as fair as it can be.

PFEIFFER: The defense teams include translators, linguists³², investigators³³, case analysts³⁴ and expert witnesses. Prosecutors have similar expenses. And there's the cost of construction, housing, vehicles and more until Guantanamo's stalled legal cases somehow resolve.

Five years ago, a former head of the military court said the process was going too slowly. He calculated that hearings were held only 33 days in 2014, costing taxpayers more than $700,000 an hour.

KAREN GREENBERG: It's not just the money.

PFEIFFER: Karen Greenberg is director of the Center on National Security at Fordham University School of Law and writes often about Guantanamo.

GREENBERG: It's the time and effort of these prosecutors and this never-ending legal case that these lawyers have been put into. And you watch these lawyers get older decade by decade.

PFEIFFER: Over the years, attorneys on both sides have filed thousands of pages of legal motions on complicated topics, like the definition of war. They're also fighting over basic legal questions, like whether the U.S. Constitution applies to the military court. Some of those fights have been going on for years without resolution. No current Guantanamo prosecutors will speak with the media. But chief defense counsel John Baker - remember; he's the one who says he'll spend as much as needed to defend the prisoners - says in the end, it isn't worth the money.

BAKER: The commissions are a failed experiment, and they're a farce³⁵. I mean, they are a legal farce.

PFEIFFER: Last month, a military court judge set January 2021 as the start date for the 9/11 trial. He is new to the case and the third judge to oversee³⁶ it. And defense lawyers consider that trial date unrealistic. But as that judge said in court in July, I am trying to put order to a process that I did not create.

Sacha Pfeiffer, NPR News.

CHANG: And tomorrow on Morning Edition, we hear why whistleblower Gary Brown believes he was fired for trying to settle cases.

(SOUNDBITE OF J'SAN'S "AWAKENING")

1 detention   

n.滞留，停留；拘留，扣留；(教育)留下

参考例句：

• He was kept in detention by the police.他被警察扣留了。
• He was in detention in connection with the bribery affair.他因与贿赂事件有牵连而被拘留了。

2 scrutiny   

n.详细检查，仔细观察

参考例句：

• His work looks all right,but it will not bear scrutiny.他的工作似乎很好，但是经不起仔细检查。
• Few wives in their forties can weather such a scrutiny.很少年过四十的妻子经得起这么仔细的观察。

3 alleging   

断言，宣称，辩解( allege的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• His reputation was blemished by a newspaper article alleging he'd evaded his taxes. 由于报上一篇文章声称他曾逃税，他的名誉受到损害。
• This our Peeress declined as unnecessary, alleging that her cousin Thornhill's recommendation would be sufficient. 那位贵人不肯，还说不必，只要有她老表唐希尔保荐就够了。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

6 retired   

adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的

参考例句：

• The old man retired to the country for rest.这位老人下乡休息去了。
• Many retired people take up gardening as a hobby.许多退休的人都以从事园艺为嗜好。

7 adviser   

n.劝告者，顾问

参考例句：

• They employed me as an adviser.他们聘请我当顾问。
• Our department has engaged a foreign teacher as phonetic adviser.我们系已经聘请了一位外籍老师作为语音顾问。

8 expenditures   

n.花费( expenditure的名词复数 )；使用；（尤指金钱的）支出额；（精力、时间、材料等的）耗费

参考例句：

• We have overspent.We'll have to let up our expenditures next month. 我们已经超支了，下个月一定得节约开支。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The pension includes an allowance of fifty pounds for traffic expenditures. 年金中包括50镑交通费补贴。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 Amended   

adj. 修正的 动词amend的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• He asked to see the amended version. 他要求看修订本。
• He amended his speech by making some additions and deletions. 他对讲稿作了些增删修改。

10 naval   

adj.海军的，军舰的，船的

参考例句：

• He took part in a great naval battle.他参加了一次大海战。
• The harbour is an important naval base.该港是一个重要的海军基地。

11 tally   

n.计数器，记分，一致，测量；vt.计算，记录，使一致；vi.计算，记分，一致

参考例句：

• Don't forget to keep a careful tally of what you spend.别忘了仔细记下你的开支账目。
• The facts mentioned in the report tally to every detail.报告中所提到的事实都丝毫不差。

12 taxpayers   

纳税人，纳税的机构( taxpayer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Finance for education comes from taxpayers. 教育经费来自纳税人。
• She was declaiming against the waste of the taxpayers' money. 她慷慨陈词猛烈抨击对纳税人金钱的浪费。

13 intentionally   

ad.故意地，有意地

参考例句：

• I didn't say it intentionally. 我是无心说的。
• The local authority ruled that he had made himself intentionally homeless and was therefore not entitled to be rehoused. 当地政府裁定他是有意居无定所，因此没有资格再获得提供住房。

14 defense   

n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩

参考例句：

• The accused has the right to defense.被告人有权获得辩护。
• The war has impacted the area with military and defense workers.战争使那个地区挤满了军队和防御工程人员。

15 annually   

adv.一年一次，每年

参考例句：

• Many migratory birds visit this lake annually.许多候鸟每年到这个湖上作短期逗留。
• They celebrate their wedding anniversary annually.他们每年庆祝一番结婚纪念日。

16 finalized   

vt.完成（finalize的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• The draft of this article has been finalized [done]. 这篇文章已经定稿。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• The draft was revised several times before it was finalized. 稿子几经删改才定下来。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

17 warship   

n.军舰，战舰

参考例句：

• He is serving on a warship in the Pacific.他在太平洋海域的一艘军舰上服役。
• The warship was making towards the pier.军舰正驶向码头。

18 aberration   

n.离开正路，脱离常规，色差

参考例句：

• The removal of the chromatic aberration is then of primary importance.这时消除色差具有头等重要性。
• Owing to a strange mental aberration he forgot his own name.由于一种莫名的精神错乱，他把自己的名字忘了。

19 prosecutor   

n.起诉人；检察官，公诉人

参考例句：

• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。
• The prosecutor would tear your testimony to pieces.检查官会把你的证言驳得体无完肤。

20 prosecutors   

检举人( prosecutor的名词复数 )； 告发人； 起诉人； 公诉人

参考例句：

• In some places,public prosecutors are elected rather than appointed. 在有些地方，检察官是经选举而非任命产生的。 来自口语例句
• You've been summoned to the Prosecutors' Office, 2 days later. 你在两天以后被宣到了检察官的办公室。

21 tainted   

adj.腐坏的；污染的；沾污的；感染的v.使变质( taint的过去式和过去分词 )；使污染；败坏；被污染，腐坏，败坏

参考例句：

• The administration was tainted with scandal. 丑闻使得政府声名狼藉。
• He was considered tainted by association with the corrupt regime. 他因与腐败政府有牵连而名誉受损。 来自《简明英汉词典》

22 imprisoned   

下狱，监禁( imprison的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• He was imprisoned for two concurrent terms of 30 months and 18 months. 他被判处30个月和18个月的监禁，合并执行。
• They were imprisoned for possession of drugs. 他们因拥有毒品而被监禁。

23 fend   

v.照料（自己），（自己）谋生，挡开，避开

参考例句：

• I've had to fend for myself since I was 14.我从十四岁时起就不得不照料自己。
• He raised his arm up to fend branches from his eyes.他举手将树枝从他眼前挡开。

24 generators   

n.发电机，发生器( generator的名词复数 )；电力公司

参考例句：

• The factory's emergency generators were used during the power cut. 工厂应急发电机在停电期间用上了。
• Power can be fed from wind generators into the electricity grid system. 电力可以从风力发电机流入输电网。 来自《简明英汉词典》

25 emblematic   

adj.象征的，可当标志的；象征性

参考例句：

• The violence is emblematic of what is happening in our inner cities. 这种暴力行为正标示了我们市中心贫民区的状况。
• Whiteness is emblematic of purity. 白色是纯洁的象征。 来自辞典例句

26 breaches   

破坏( breach的名词复数 )； 破裂； 缺口； 违背

参考例句：

• He imposed heavy penalties for breaches of oath or pledges. 他对违反誓言和保证的行为给予严厉的惩罚。
• This renders all breaches of morality before marriage very uncommon. 这样一来，婚前败坏道德的事就少见了。

27 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

28 breakdown   

n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌

参考例句：

• She suffered a nervous breakdown.她患神经衰弱。
• The plane had a breakdown in the air,but it was fortunately removed by the ace pilot.飞机在空中发生了故障，但幸运的是被王牌驾驶员排除了。

29 baker   

n.面包师

参考例句：

• The baker bakes his bread in the bakery.面包师在面包房内烤面包。
• The baker frosted the cake with a mixture of sugar and whites of eggs.面包师在蛋糕上撒了一层白糖和蛋清的混合料。

30 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

31 defender   

n.保卫者，拥护者，辩护人

参考例句：

• He shouldered off a defender and shot at goal.他用肩膀挡开防守队员，然后射门。
• The defender argued down the prosecutor at the court.辩护人在法庭上驳倒了起诉人。

32 linguists   

n.通晓数国语言的人( linguist的名词复数 )；语言学家

参考例句：

• The linguists went to study tribal languages in the field. 语言学家们去实地研究部落语言了。 来自辞典例句
• The linguists' main interest has been to analyze and describe languages. 语言学家的主要兴趣一直在于分析并描述语言。 来自辞典例句

33 investigators   

n.调查者，审查者( investigator的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• This memo could be the smoking gun that investigators have been looking for. 这份备忘录可能是调查人员一直在寻找的证据。
• The team consisted of six investigators and two secretaries. 这个团队由六个调查人员和两个秘书组成。 来自《简明英汉词典》

34 analysts   

分析家，化验员( analyst的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• City analysts forecast huge profits this year. 伦敦金融分析家预测今年的利润非常丰厚。
• I was impressed by the high calibre of the researchers and analysts. 研究人员和分析人员的高素质给我留下了深刻印象。

35 farce   

n.闹剧，笑剧，滑稽戏；胡闹

参考例句：

• They played a shameful role in this farce.他们在这场闹剧中扮演了可耻的角色。
• The audience roared at the farce.闹剧使观众哄堂大笑。

36 oversee   

vt.监督，管理

参考例句：

• Soldiers oversee the food handouts.士兵们看管着救济食品。
• Use a surveyor or architect to oversee and inspect the different stages of the work.请一位房产检视员或建筑师来监督并检查不同阶段的工作。