Return to Transcripts main page
American Morning
Army Chaplain Facing Military Hearing Today
Aired December 08, 2003 - 07:37 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: An Army chaplain is facing a military hearing today. Captain James Yee, a Muslim and a chaplain, is suspected of wrongfully transporting classified material that pertains to the terror suspects out at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
Bob Franken live at Fort Benning, Georgia, with a preview of what we may expect later today -- Bob, good morning.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
And it's what the military calls an Article 32 hearing, sort of a preliminary hearing, its version of that. Originally, Captain Yee faced very serious charges of spying. They've been reduced. But nevertheless, he is now at Fort Benning after being at Guantanamo Bay, where his life changed significantly.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN (voice-over): By the time he arrived at Guantanamo Bay, Captain James Yee was going by a new name.
CAPTAIN JAMES YEE: Chaplain Yusuf.
FRANKEN: A West Point grad converted to Islam, this is the way Yee explained his chaplain's duties among terrorist prisoners from the Afghan war.
YEE: And having access to detainees, basically my role there is to try and help them in any way I can.
FRANKEN: Other officers worried he was too sympathetic. Yee was arrested for spying when investigators said they found classified information on the computer he was carrying. But now the charges are two counts of mishandling classified material; and two counts involving pornography, also on a computer; one count of lying about a CD for a detainee; and one count of adultery with a female officer at Guantanamo Bay.
Locked up for 76 days, Yee was released recently and is now in the Fort Benning chaplain's office, limited to administrative work.
RICH MCDOWELL, FORT BENNING, GEORGIA: He will not be doing chaplain duties such as counseling or having services or anything. It will just be strictly admin type things.
(END VIDEOTAPE) FRANKEN: And what he will be doing is that, facing that Article 32 hearing today, his lawyer will argue that the charges against him were too severe, totally unnecessary. And the military judge will decide whether even these lesser charges are worth pursuing -- Bill.
HEMMER: Bob, thanks.
Bob Franken in Fort Benning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired December 8, 2003 - 07:37 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: An Army chaplain is facing a military hearing today. Captain James Yee, a Muslim and a chaplain, is suspected of wrongfully transporting classified material that pertains to the terror suspects out at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
Bob Franken live at Fort Benning, Georgia, with a preview of what we may expect later today -- Bob, good morning.
BOB FRANKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Good morning.
And it's what the military calls an Article 32 hearing, sort of a preliminary hearing, its version of that. Originally, Captain Yee faced very serious charges of spying. They've been reduced. But nevertheless, he is now at Fort Benning after being at Guantanamo Bay, where his life changed significantly.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
FRANKEN (voice-over): By the time he arrived at Guantanamo Bay, Captain James Yee was going by a new name.
CAPTAIN JAMES YEE: Chaplain Yusuf.
FRANKEN: A West Point grad converted to Islam, this is the way Yee explained his chaplain's duties among terrorist prisoners from the Afghan war.
YEE: And having access to detainees, basically my role there is to try and help them in any way I can.
FRANKEN: Other officers worried he was too sympathetic. Yee was arrested for spying when investigators said they found classified information on the computer he was carrying. But now the charges are two counts of mishandling classified material; and two counts involving pornography, also on a computer; one count of lying about a CD for a detainee; and one count of adultery with a female officer at Guantanamo Bay.
Locked up for 76 days, Yee was released recently and is now in the Fort Benning chaplain's office, limited to administrative work.
RICH MCDOWELL, FORT BENNING, GEORGIA: He will not be doing chaplain duties such as counseling or having services or anything. It will just be strictly admin type things.
(END VIDEOTAPE) FRANKEN: And what he will be doing is that, facing that Article 32 hearing today, his lawyer will argue that the charges against him were too severe, totally unnecessary. And the military judge will decide whether even these lesser charges are worth pursuing -- Bill.
HEMMER: Bob, thanks.
Bob Franken in Fort Benning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
