A military judge allowed the lead defense lawyer to leave next month, but his successor has not yet received the security clearance she needs to take over.
She was the first U.S. ambassador to a newly independent Balkans nation and recently oversaw the transfer of cooperating Guantánamo prisoners to third countries.
Susan Escallier’s approval of a plea deal, one of the most important decisions in the history of Guantánamo Bay’s war court, has drawn attention to her role and the dysfunctional military commissions.
A military judge said he would move forward with accepting guilty pleas from three defendants in exchange for life sentences. The agreements had been rescinded by the defense secretary.