By Nina Mandell
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Vice President Joseph Biden said he believed Mayor Michael Bloomberg's estimate for security costs to host the terror trials in lower Manhattan was inflated.
During an appearance on CBS's Face the Nation on Sunday, Biden defended Attorney General Eric Holder’s original decision to hold the trials in lower Manhattan, but acknowledged the issue has ignited a political firestorm.
“The mayor came along and said the cost of providing security is [$200] million dollars, which I think is more than will be needed,” Biden said.
He also said the administration had not ruled out holding the trials in a military tribunal.
“We have significantly beefed up these military courts so they can pass constitutional scrutiny if we have to have a trial in these courts,” he said.
In an interview with the New York Times, Holder said he did not believe NYPD Commissioner Raymond Kelly fudged the numbers for how much a terror trials would cost.
“No, I’ve known Ray for a long time," he said. "We worked together in the Clinton administration. I think he’s a man of good faith.”
Holder and the Obama administration have come under fire from downtown residents and local politicians who believe holding the trials downtown will wreak havoc on the area.
Last Friday, Rep. Peter King told the City Council that he believed the administration had decided to remove the trials from lower Manhattan, but had not yet found another location.
