Carter and Dunford attempt to clarify comments that were called "inappropriate" by military judge #JHedzWorlD

Carter and Dunford attempt to clarify comments that were called “inappropriate” by military judge #JHedzWorlD

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Earlier this month, the judge, Army Col. James Pohl, had invited Carter and Dunford to “take appropriate action to absolve any taint from their comments upon the public’s view of the independence of the Commission,” after they publicly criticized a commission decision that banned female guards from handling Mohammed and four accused co-conspirators. Their lawyers had said that the presence of female guards had violated their cultural and religious rights.

In his written decision, Pohl eventually ruled in favor of the detention facility, choosing to end the prohibition on female guards, but he issued an extension of the ban in order “to deter such additional inappropriate comments.”

In their statement, Carter and Dunford said “the Department of Defense, and we personally, are committed to fairness and transparency in military commission proceedings, and to the independence of the judges who oversee them.”

“Our comments and those made by other senior officials regarding gender-neutral staffing of guard forces at JTF-GTMO (Guantanamo Bay) have given rise to a concern that the comments may have appeared to be intended to influence the proceedings,” they wrote.

“We continue to believe that our military has legitimate and strong interests in gender-neutral staffing, integration of women into all positions, and the prevention of gender discrimination.”

“To be clear, we had no intention to influence the military judges presiding over the military commissions,” they said.

Carter and Dunford attempt to clarify comments that were called "inappropriate" by military judge #JHedzWorlD