Sarah Huckabee Sanders on Wednesday addressed the question about the New York City attack suspect being considered an "enemy combatant."
The White House has said it views Sayfullo Saipov, the man accused of running people over in New York City, as an "enemy combatant."
During a briefing Wednesday, CBS News' Major Garrett asked press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders about that status, and she responded, "I believe we would consider this person to be an enemy combatant. Yes."
The label restricts a suspect's rights during the investigation and trial process.
Garrett later expressed skepticism about the classification, saying in an on-camera report, "There is no precedent...that I am aware of, of taking someone who has a green card--meaning legal permanent resident status--and treating that person as an enemy combatant."
In 2013, the Obama administration had declined to give that designation to Boston marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev because, as press secretary Jay Carney said at the time, "Under U.S. law, United States citizens cannot be tried in military commissions."
"It is important to remember since 9/11, we have used the federal court system to convict and incarcerate hundreds of terrorists," Carney added.
And while Saipov is an Uzbek national, he did enter the U.S. legally with a diversity immigrant visa which provides permanent resident status, notes CNN.
Saipov is accused of killing eight people and wounding several others after hitting them with a truck in New York City on Tuesday.
