Guantanamo remarks lead to resignation

The Pentagon official who criticized law firms for defending detainees held at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has resigned, a Defense Department spokesman said.

Charles Stimson, deputy assistant secretary for detainee affairs, last month called it “shocking” that major U.S. law firms represented Guantanamo detainees for free and said they would probably suffer financially after their corporate clients learned of the work.

The Pentagon disavowed his remarks and Stimson apologized, saying that he supported pro bono work and that the legal system worked best when both sides had representation.