9 November 2024

This Retired General Settled the 9/11 Case. Then the Defense Secretary Took Charge

Carol Rosenberg

Susan Escallier excelled at being an Army lawyer. During her 32 years in uniform, she had jumped out of airplanes, deployed to Iraq three times and was a devoted, competitive runner. Then she suffered a stroke and had to retire in 2021.

So, a year ago, when she was offered a job as the Pentagon official in charge of the war court system at Guantánamo Bay, it was her ticket back to serving the military. It was a thankless job, largely unseen and even less understood.

For months, Ms. Escallier quietly oversaw years-old cases. Then she made one of the most important decisions in the court’s history, setting off events that have drawn attention to her role and to the dysfunctional military commissions.

On July 31, Ms. Escallier approved a prosecution plea deal with the man accused of masterminding the Sept. 11 plot, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, and two other defendants. In exchange for pleading guilty, they would serve life in prison instead of someday possibly facing a death sentence.

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