AG said to be eyeing criminal probe in torture case
This may just be a trial balloon floated to gauge reaction. If so, here’s mine: Unless they start with those at the top, with those who made the decision to break the law, I think this is a bad idea. Picking off the low-level order-followers, as happened at Abu Graib, is wrong on many counts.
Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. is leaning toward appointing a criminal prosecutor to investigate whether CIA personnel tortured terrorism suspects after Sept. 11, 2001, setting the stage for a conflict with administration officials who would prefer the issues remain in the past, according to three sources familiar with his thinking.
Naming a prosecutor to probe alleged abuses during the darkest period in the Bush era would run counter to President Obama’s oft-repeated desire to be “looking forward and not backwards.” Top political aides have expressed concern that such an investigation might spawn partisan debates that could overtake Obama’s ambitious legislative agenda.
The White House successfully resisted efforts by congressional Democrats to establish a “truth and reconciliation” panel. But fresh disclosures have continued to emerge about detainee mistreatment, including a secret CIA watchdog report, recently reviewed by Holder, highlighting several episodes that could be likened to torture.
Holder’s decision could come within weeks, around the same time the Justice Department releases an ethics report about Bush lawyers who drafted memos supporting harsh interrogation practices, the sources said. The legal documents spell out in sometimes painstaking detail how interrogators were allowed to subject detainees to simulated drowning, sleep deprivation, wall slamming and confinement in small, dark spaces.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Guides
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2011 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
146 comments Add your comment
I Report (-: You Whine )-:
July 12th, 2009
1:30 pm
Told ya.
Pure bred, unadulterated cowardice-
These are not just the philosophical musings of a new attorney general. Holder, 58, may be on the verge of asserting his independence in a profound way. Four knowledgeable sources tell NEWSWEEK that he is now leaning toward appointing a prosecutor to investigate the Bush administration’s ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`brutal~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ interrogation practices, something the president has been reluctant to do.
1) Oh yeah, the “president” has “no” control over his Attorney General/ Kangaroo Court Qwack.
2) A “prosecutors” “investigation” could take up to two years, during which time the accused will be afforded no Constitutional right to confront their accuser, and, the Pinko Propaganda Mill will purport all sorts of goony headlines about this crime and that crime, none of which will ever amount to anything nor will any evidence ever be produced, with the whole freakshow sham sputtering into silent oblivion after it has served it’s Politically Motivated purpose.
3) Do you really think Dick Cheney is going to play along? Remember what happened the last time you attempted to “try” him in the star chamber of the kook leftwing media? Does it not still sting?
4) Why the vague references to a “crime?” Have you no convincing evidence? If this so called “program” was so “brutal” that it had to be immediately terminated, then the charges should stand on their own merits, should they not? It almost seems like the program, if it indeed exists, may have produced some actionable intelligence instead of just torture pornography for the viewing enjoyment of those in the fever swamps.
So let’s see it.
Pokey
July 12th, 2009
1:35 pm
This is absolute insanity.
Normal
July 12th, 2009
1:48 pm
Wether it is a crime or not, it needs to be investigated just to find out. Let the chips fall where they may.
Mrs. Godzilla
July 12th, 2009
1:49 pm
I say, Go for it.
Yes, more journeys like that of Lindy Englund must be avoided.
There is only one way to find the truth. Investigate.
Members of the previous administration, if truly innocent of atrocities, should be clamoring for a serious investigation to clear their names.
If there is nothing to hide…..
Dusty
July 12th, 2009
1:58 pm
Sure, and while we are at it, investigate the Democrats in Congress who approved everything done in Iraq and don’t remember one bit of it. I think they should be investigated and dismissed as prejudiced incompetents. Then we can get about the business of saving the USA from Obama economics, something else Democrats want to forget.
getalife
July 12th, 2009
2:02 pm
AG was meant to be an Independent justice official to uphold the law not the president’s lawyer.
He will be another failed gop AG if he fails to prosecutes torture.
The dems will investigate this too:
“Democrats Plan Probe of Secret CIA Program
House seeks to examine nature of still-secret program, decisions by Bush-era officials not to disclose its existence to Congress for years.”
AmVet
July 12th, 2009
2:07 pm
This is one of the more egregious patterns by this new president – “looking forward and not backwards.”
To me it is political double-talk, pure and simple. And possibly enhanced Pelosi/Reid code for, “Hey Republiconned, don’t forge this! I/we may need this same smoke-screen sentiment at some point.”
I am not sure if the Uppity One is just lacking a backbone or has no stomach for such quaint notions like the rule of law, being aboveboard and justice.
Gawd knows the GOP never has. (And this was change?)
Nonetheless his apparent modus operandi is to let ALL of the criminals walk.
Let’s hope Holder is his surrogate spine…
Dusty
July 12th, 2009
2:09 pm
Sure, investigate the CIA and find out why Democrats cannot remember reading the same CIA reports as President Bush and agreed with the president on expedient action. There seems to be an epidemic of Alzheimers in the Democrats in US Congress..
josef nix
July 12th, 2009
2:15 pm
NORMAL–answer unblocked downstairs. I’m far too angry right now to be a participant.
getalife
July 12th, 2009
2:15 pm
Yeah dusty,
They can follow ganzo’s lead but if the dems are guilty, so be it.
Perhaps boner and cheney should have kept their mouths shut.
Dusty
July 12th, 2009
2:16 pm
CRIMINALS? WHAT CRIMINALS? Let’s investigate people who want to call people “criminals” without them being tried.
Obama’s economy is in big trouble. LET’S INVESTIGATE that.. What’s the “trillions” estimate today?
getalife
July 12th, 2009
2:18 pm
dusty,
Relax, you are losing it.
Do you believe in the rule of law?
It’s a good thing.
Normal
July 12th, 2009
2:19 pm
Thanks, Josef..I hope your feathers become unruffled real soon…remember…What the world needs now is love sweet love….
Midori
July 12th, 2009
2:19 pm
getalife;
see this? http://www.vancouversun.com/entertainment/Conservative+Free+Republic+blog+free+speech+flap+after+racial+slurs+directed+Obama+children/1782375/story.html
wonder how many of those posts belong to Dusty and Andy?
Dusty
July 12th, 2009
2:20 pm
Perhaps Geithner, Obama’s puppy dog financial expert, should be investigated as to why we owe “trillions and trillions” and nobody has seen a dime of it.
Dusty
July 12th, 2009
2:22 pm
Midori’s links usually need to be either ignored or investigated. Otherwise time has been wasted.
Scooter
July 12th, 2009
2:22 pm
AmVet @ 2:07 pm,
Your post went over my head as usual. Will you re-post in layman’s terms. Thanks
Midori
July 12th, 2009
2:23 pm
i’d say, by Dusty’s reaction, a great majority of them……
getalife
July 12th, 2009
2:25 pm
Yes Midori,
The freepers are unhinged:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2290929/posts
I thought her shirt was very cool.
Sane people of the world want no nukes.
Too many whackjobs in the world will use them.
getalife
July 12th, 2009
2:28 pm
Drink a couple more bottles of cheap whine disty.
Geez.
Mrs. Godzilla
July 12th, 2009
2:29 pm
Funny thing about finding one guilty in a court of law – they must be investigated FIRST.
Whether they are murderers or meth freaks, vice lords or vice presidents, ya’ can’t get ‘em in front of a judge without doing a little
look see. It is not unreasonable in the least.
Finding the truth is pretty damned American.
getalife
July 12th, 2009
2:29 pm
They say Shuster will cover the freepers comments too.
getalife
July 12th, 2009
2:32 pm
AmVet,
Obama said let it go but the AG is meant to be Independent.
Just sayin.
Mrs. Godzilla
July 12th, 2009
2:33 pm
Damn that hair…..
http://www.who2.com/photos/Bo-Derek/Bo-Derek_0001.html
DoggoneGA
July 12th, 2009
2:34 pm
“Finding the truth is pretty damned American”
And we need to know the truth, but I doubt we’ll ever get it. Too many people are too good at “not remembering” things.
Dusty
July 12th, 2009
2:35 pm
Witch hunts are neither truthful nor American. So Dems keep one going. That is not honest, not justice nor the “law”. Call it for what it is. Rotten politics..
Mrs. Godzilla
July 12th, 2009
2:35 pm
DoggoneGA
You may very well be right. That however has never been a excuse for not trying.
Dusty
July 12th, 2009
2:41 pm
Yep, kieep on trying. I DEMAND an investigation as to why the USA is printing money with nothing to back it. It is SUSPICIOUS. We must know the facts. Bring on the INVESTIGATION about the “TRILLIONS” and more to come.
DoggoneGA
July 12th, 2009
2:42 pm
“That however has never been a excuse for not trying.”
I wouldn’t argue that. I was against pardoning Nixon, so take a like through that.
Midori
July 12th, 2009
2:42 pm
Dusty,
this from someone who knows all about hunting witches…..
they were certainly good enough when your gaggle was in the majority, wasn’t it?
Normal
July 12th, 2009
2:42 pm
Dusty, do you really think that if the shoe was on the other foot, things would be different. You know better than that. Maybe this is like the Clinton investigation and much ado about nothing, but unless you are somehow involved, I would think that you would want to see the facts in the light of day, if for no other reason than to move on…Just sayin’
DoggoneGA
July 12th, 2009
2:44 pm
” I DEMAND an investigation as to why the USA is printing money with nothing to back it.”
How far back do you want to go? The USA has been “printing money with nothing to back it.” since we went off the gold standard.
AmVet
July 12th, 2009
2:46 pm
Scooter, I’ve read the gist of your posts before And I honestly don’t think you can get away with playing dumb.
But at any rate, before he was elected I predicted Obama would not even remotely go after the innumerable crooks, swindlers and speculators on Wall Street, K Street, Main Street and in the government who walked away laughing, with trillions of dollars (much/most of it our money!).
Somebody, ANYBODY please tell me I was wrong! (Chirp…chirp…)
I also said that in a move not even rivaled by Gerald Ford, he’s gonna let the most indictable, serially impeachable US President and Vice President in history skate. On every front. (And I can list five different areas where laws were subverted and there were serious violations of the US Constitution.)
The fact remains that even after they leave office they are still subject to criminal laws and can/should be prosecuted. I am virtually alone in this sentiment I know, but DAs everywhere should be convening Grand Juries to investigating which statutes and laws they broke.
Screw those fat cats. This is a nation of laws, not men…
Dusty
July 12th, 2009
2:49 pm
Normal,
Clinton lied in court. I’d say that is a little different from the suppositions presented here. Bush checked with his Justice Department, some of the best lawyers in the country. He did everything he knew to do it right.
Was he doing it for personal gain? NO.
Was he doing it for personal enjoyment? NO.
Was he trying to protect this country? YES.
As a matter of fact, I do not remember Bush wasting any time INVESTIGATING Democrats. If you still want to refer to Clinton, the stained blue dress brought him down. Republicans did not do it. Is your memory also getting “short”?
Normal
July 12th, 2009
2:50 pm
AmVet, you said,
“The fact remains that even after they leave office they are still subject to criminal laws and can/should be prosecuted. I am virtually alone in this sentiment I know, but DAs everywhere should be convening Grand Juries to investigating which statutes and laws they broke.”
No truer words have ever been spoken and you are not alone…Just sayin’
getalife
July 12th, 2009
2:51 pm
“The issue is Free Republic finding it acceptable to have a thread up speaking of an 11 YEAR OLD CHILD with these comments:
“..typical street whore”
“..ghetto trash”
“Wonder when she will have her first abortion.”
Try as you might to deflect that’s what the issue was, is and remains. Don’t go scampering under rocks when your bigotry and hatefulness is exposed to the light of day. Own it. Its yours.”
The freepers attack the source instead.
con politics as usual.
Dusty
July 12th, 2009
2:55 pm
OK Doggone,
So I should say the USA is printing money soon to be lacking in Chinese support. Would you like to concentrate on that instead of Obama’s “trillions”?
getalife
July 12th, 2009
2:59 pm
Prosecute the criminals including the establishment’s economic disaster and Obama just might redeem himself.
Normal
July 12th, 2009
3:00 pm
See, Dusty, this is why I like talkin’ to you…you are so dispassionate.
If you really believe that President Bush’s first priority was to protect this nation, then so be it, but I believe that everything he did was for “Big Business” and the GOP, first and foremost. If it helps the nation, well that was just gravy. Regardless, it looks like to the naked eye, that laws were broken and for that alone, he and his administration shoulde be investigated. But the main reason I believe that he didn’t have the safety of this nation at heat came from his own mouth, when he said that he didn’t think about Bin Laden much anymore.
Dusty
July 12th, 2009
3:00 pm
Normal, what happened to your “love sweet love”?? All you want is an indictment of Bush no matter how it is done. Try to be cool about it. Right now, it is so obvious.
AmVet is ready to investigate…FORD? Well, let’s go whole hog here! Let’s investigate GEORGE WASHINGTON and that illegal war he led.
Midori
July 12th, 2009
3:01 pm
Clinton lied in court.
and where in the world DIDN’T Bush and Cheney lie?
Redneck Convert
July 12th, 2009
3:02 pm
Well, I see Sister Dusty’s back on the cheap kitchen wine again. It’s just a shame a person can’t hold a temper better than that. And on the Sabbath too.
Anyhow, I’m against what this Holder wants to do, if he wants to do it. We can’t have a former President of the U.S. of A. and a former Vice President and Lord knows who else doing a perp walk. It would shame us all, like showing up buck-nekkid in church and cutting a big loud one to boot.
I would say more but me and the missus are headed down to Ryans and she gets kind of cranky when she’s hungry. Have a good p.m. everybody.
Scooter
July 12th, 2009
3:09 pm
AmVet @ 2:46 pm,
That I could understand! Thanks again. I really don’t consider myself as dumb but I can tell you for a fact that I’m the least intellectual person on this blog site.
Normal
July 12th, 2009
3:10 pm
Dusty, I’m afraid “love” has nothing to do with this. OUR Government, yours and mine, is under a cloud of suspicion. It needs to be looked into, and if true, people need to be punished, just like the man who steals a loaf of bread. No more, no less. Gotta sign out for now, grandkid to entertain…Dusty, I will check back in later…
Dusty
July 12th, 2009
3:10 pm
OK Normal,
What are your facts on Bush and big businss concessions? Bush was a rich man long before he was even governor of Texas. So it could not be personal.
He got a majority of votes everytime he ran for office. He won by votes not big business.
Big business did supply the needs of the American army world wide. No penny ante company can do international work on that scale without having the experience and captal to do it. You do realize that, don’t you? Do you think Big Lots could supply an army overseas?
9/11 started all war efforts when Bush has been president less than a year. Americans supplied their armed forces. Iraq has oil but is not the highest ranking ;producer in the world. It was not oil.
Think of better excuses to “investigate” anything and everything that happened while Bush was in office. It seems to be the main thing that Democrats can do besides running up TRILLIONS OF DOLLARS IN DEBT. Does that not worry you?
Dusty
July 12th, 2009
3:19 pm
Normal,
The biggest cloud over America right now is the BIG DEBT. Don’t fool yourself. You are in a Democratic endeavor and swallowing the whole bait. You do seem to be in a “big cloud” and not seeing too well. Your “big cloud” is nothing but dust being kicked up by the same old political polecats. Best to ignore little “dust devils”.
getalife
July 12th, 2009
3:26 pm
The Brits are having a public Iraq war investigation. They tried to keep it private but their people do not trust them like most sane Americans with our government. Also, their public opionion is against more blood in Afghanistan.
As I read the British newspapers, I see that we usually follow their actions.They taxed the rich and we willl too to pay for health care. They started investigations and now we will. They got out of Iraq and soon we will.
They will leave Afghanistan……
Scooter
July 12th, 2009
3:28 pm
Dusty,
I’ve always heard there is three sides to every issue. There is your side and Normal’s side. Then there is the way it REALLY is.
Just saying…
getalife
July 12th, 2009
3:30 pm
dusty will never admit w left a 1.4 trillion defecit, a depression and two wars.
That is called a disaster dusty .
An expensive disaster.
Get real.
FinnMcCool
July 12th, 2009
3:31 pm
If the Bush administration did nothing wrong, what are you folks worried about? Eh? Let em have at it.
Your concern makes your true thoughts stand naked. You have doubts…..ohh, the doubt….woe is you.
Why ya so skeered?