Colonel testifies on interference at Gitmo

[unhappycamper]

Colonel testifies on interference at Gitmo
The Associated Press
Posted : Tuesday Apr 29, 2008 13:26:12 EDT

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba — A former chief prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay testified Monday that he faced growing interference from his Pentagon superiors following the arrival at the Navy base of "high-value" detainees with direct links to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Air Force Col. Morris Davis, who was called to testify by lawyers for Osama bin Laden's former driver, said Pentagon officials showed increased interest in the schedule and the selection of detainees for trial once the prisoners arrived from secret CIA custody in September 2006.

"Suddenly, everybody had strong opinions about how we ought to do our job," Davis said. "If you can get the 9/11 guys charged, you get the victims' families energized, and if the case is rolling, whoever took the White House would have difficulty stopping this process."

Davis was cross-examined by the Army officer who replaced him after his resignation last October, Col. Lawrence Morris, in one of the most dramatic challenges to the first American war-crimes tribunals since World War II.

The testimony came in the case of Salim Ahmed Hamdan, a Yemeni who is scheduled to be the first to go to trial next month. Defense attorneys hope to use Davis' claims as the basis for a dismissal of the charges.


Rest of article at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/04/ap_af_gitmo_042908/