Days after Gov. Pat Quinn suspended an unpublicized release of state prison inmates, rival Democrat and Illinois Comptroller Dan Hynes has tied the "secret" release program to a plan to bring Guantanamo detainees to Illinois.
Federal officials plan to buy the Thomson Correctional Center to house the terrorism suspects, and Hynes says it "understandably causes some unease" in light of a policy that releases state prisoners before their sentences expire.
Hynes supports the proposal to move detainees to Thomson, saying that "President Obama would weigh this decision carefully," but he suggested that the state release program reflects poorly on how the governor would handle federal detainees.
"It turns out his administration is secretly releasing criminals, some violent, from prison early," Hynes said in a statement released minutes ago, "and worse, the governor didn’t seem to know anything about it."
Quinn's campaign spokeswoman, Elizabeth Austin, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But the governor has said the policy was a Department of Corrections decision, and he ordered a "top-to-bottom" review after The Associated Press reported the program Sunday.
For Hynes, however, the moves have not been enough to clear the air.
"Gov. Quinn’s bungled handling of and obfuscation on this program does nothing to instill a climate of competence and confidence that the people of Illinois need at a time and situation like this," Hynes said in the statement.
"As the Thomson sale moves forward, we are still waiting for the Governor to give answers to the many questions raised by his secret early release program."
Windy Citizen 