"We need not cower in the face of this enemy," the attorney general said in response to critics of prosecuting terror suspects in federal court. "Our institutions are strong, our infrastructure is sturdy, our resolve is firm, and our people are ready."
"I'm not scared of what Khalid Sheikh Mohammed has to say at trial, and no one else has to be afraid either," Holder told the committee.
Holder's testimony gave senators the first opportunity to question him since the announcement that Khalid Shaikh Mohammed and other Guantanamo detainees will be tried in federal court. Those critical of the decision included Senator Lindsay Graham and Ranking Member Jeff Sessions, who said that he feared that the passage of time since 9/11 had "dulled the memories" of some Americans.