Attorney General Eric Holder’s idea to hold a criminal trial in New York City for Khalid Sheikh Mohammed and four others implicated in the 9/11 terrorist attack plot has been sharply criticized, primarily from the right side of the aisle, but Holder defended his decision before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. –KA

The Los Angeles Times:

In testimony today before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder said, “We need not cower in the face of this enemy. Our institutions are strong, our infrastructure is sturdy, our resolve is firm, and our people are ready.”

During the lengthy hearing, lawmakers sparred with the attorney general — and each other — over the administration’s decision last week to send Mohammed and four alleged co-conspirators from the Guantanamo Bay military detention center to a courthouse just blocks from Ground Zero.

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