Biden's refusal on the plea-bargain guarantees leaves it to military prosecutors and defense lawyers to try to hash out an agreement on a plea bargain.
Lawyers for the two sides have been exploring a negotiated resolution to the case for about 1 1/2 years.
They had been waiting for about a year of that time to see if Biden would express opposition or support for some of the conditions that defense lawyers had been seeking.
Biden was unsettled about accepting terms for the plea from those responsible for the deadliest assault on the United States since Pearl Harbor, the official said.
The five defendants include Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, accused as the architect of the attacks, which were waged by commandeered commercial jetliners.
Persons:
Joe Biden, Biden's, Biden, Lloyd Austin’s, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, Brett Eagleson, ”
Organizations:
WASHINGTON, White, National Security, National Security Council, U.S, D.C
Locations:
United States, Pearl, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, New York, Washington, Pennsylvania, Afghanistan, Iraq, Guantanamo