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White House Wouldn’t Take Obama Executive Action on Closing Gitmo Off Table

© REUTERS / Bob Strong/Files A guard opens the gate at the entrance to Camp VI, a prison used to house detainees at the US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay
A guard opens the gate at the entrance to Camp VI, a prison used to house detainees at the US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay - Sputnik International
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US President Barack Obama's administration would not rule out taking any executive actions to close the Guantanamo Bay prison facility before the president leaves office, White House spokesperson Josh Earnest said during a press briefing on Friday.

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — Earnest stressed that Obama would continue to press the US Congress to remove what they have put in place that is preventing the US president from closing the Cuban based prison facility.

"Closing the prison at Guantanamo Bay would make us safer and that’s why it’s a priority," Earnest said. "As it relates to the president’s executive authority, in accomplishing that goal… I certainly wouldn’t take any executive options that may or may not be available off the table."

Guard tower at dawn at Camp Delta the military prison at Naval Base Guantanamo Bay Cuba - Sputnik International
Pentagon Officials Thwart White House Efforts to Close Guantanamo

Earlier on Friday, the Pentagon announced it had transferred a detainee to Kuwait bringing the number of remaining prisoners to 104.

Over the course of his presidency, Obama has repeatedly vowed to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay, known for its use of torture and other forms of mistreatment, but the prison continues to remain open.

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