WASHINGTON — The White House’s national security adviser says the Obama administration is hard at work on fulfilling President Barack Obama’s deadline to shut down the Guantanamo detention center for suspected terrorists.
But James Jones also says that meeting Obama’s deadline to close the facility by Jan. 22 is proving harder than officials first thought.
Jones says it’s clear that Guantanamo must close — because of the symbol it’s come to represent.
Jones says Obama has made a commitment to close it and the adviser says he still hopes the administration can meet that deadline.
Senior administration officials have told The Associated Press that difficulties in completing the lengthy review of detainee files and resolving other tough questions mean the president’s promised January deadline may slip.
Jones spoke on CNN’s “State of the Union.”