Bloomberg Responds To Biden Over 9-11 Trial

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New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg disagrees with Vice President Joe Biden about the cost of providing security during a trial of Sept. 11 suspects. 

Biden said Sunday that Bloomberg might have exaggerated how much it would cost to hold the trial in Manhattan. 

The mayor has said it could cost $250 million per year of the trial. He said Tuesday his estimate is "reasonable." 

The mayor said no one in the Obama administration had objected to the cost estimates before. 

Bloomberg initially supported the Obama administration's decision to try the Sept. 11 suspects in a federal courthouse in lower Manhattan. But he changed his mind and has been lobbying against it. He cited the cost and disruption to downtown Manhattan. 

"The mayor came along and said the cost for providing security to hold this trial is x-hundreds of millions of dollars which I think is much more than would be needed," Biden said. 

"I will leave the security of New York City up to the mayor and police commissioner. I think Joe Biden should have talked to City officials. No city should have to put up with the burden and risk of the trial so the administration can have a terroristic pony show," said City Councilman Peter Vallone, Jr. (D-Queens). 

Biden's comments came during a war of words with former Vice President Dick Cheney over whether the terrorists should be tried in a civilian court or military tribunal. 

"This is not a criminal act, not when you destroy 16 acres of Manhattan, kill 3,000 Americans, blow a big hole in the Pentagon. That's an act of war," Cheney said. 

According to Biden, "That's Dick Cheney. Thank God the last administration didn't listen to him at the end." 

Biden also said that it is still not clear where the terror suspects will be tried. 

As for the mayor, sources point out that the federal officials never questioned his cost estimates. In fact, the president put $200 million in the budget to pay for the first year's costs. 

Attorney General Eric Holder said he's going to be more "flexible" about the possibility of a millitary trial for the suspects. 

WCBS

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