Frist to push for Guantanamo bill

updated 10:56 a.m. ET June 30, 2006

CAPITOL HILL - Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist says he'll push legislation allowing President Bush to use military tribunals to prosecute terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay.

Responding quickly to the Supreme Court ruling, Frist said he would consult with the administration and his colleagues and introduce legislation when Congress returns from a weeklong break.

Frist says he believes that in order to keep America safe in the war on terror, suspects should be tried only before military commissions, not civilian courts.

Lawmakers from both parties say the ruling appears to give Congress the chance to establish a legal framework for prosecuting suspected terrorists.

Both the House and Senate Armed Services committees and the Senate Judiciary Committee announced they would hold hearings this summer.

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