Criminal investigation into CIA treatment of detainees expected

[kpete]

Source: Los Angeles Times


Criminal investigation into CIA treatment of detainees expected

Insiders say Atty. Gen. Eric Holder is close to naming a prosecutor to look into reports of excessive waterboarding and other unauthorized methods. Convictions could be hard to get.

By Greg Miller and Josh Meyer

5:17 PM PDT, August 8, 2009
Reporting from Washington -- U.S. Atty. Gen. Eric H. Holder Jr. is poised to appoint a criminal prosecutor to investigate alleged CIA abuses committed during the interrogation of terrorism suspects, current and former U.S. government officials said.

A senior Justice Department official said that Holder envisioned a probe that would be "narrow" in scope, focusing on "whether people went beyond the techniques that were authorized" in Bush administration memos that liberally interpreted anti-torture laws.

Current and former CIA and Justice Department officials who have firsthand knowledge of the interrogation files contend that criminal convictions will be difficult to obtain because the quality of evidence is poor and the legal underpinnings have never been tested.

Some cases have not previously been disclosed, including an instance in which a CIA operative brought a gun into the interrogation booth to force a detainee to talk.

Read more: http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-ci...

[bluesmail]

1. OK This is as important as Sibel Edmonds deposition today.

If they're not connected, I hope they're connected. Please.

[boomerbust]

2. Strongly worded letter

To follow.

[Supersedeas]

16. To follow relatively speaking....the CIA is still 'commenting' on the OPR Report

[solstice]

3. "Excessive" waterboarding? Is he saying t here's an acceptable amount?

[The Stranger]

4. My thoughts exactly. "Too much torture," or something.

[johnaries]

6. According to Bush lawyers, there was.

Saw an interview today where they were talking about the legal memo's, and they actually spelled out that there were certain limitations that they felt would make it "legal". I know, sick. But many interrogators went beyond what even those memo's proscribed.

[WA98296]

5. I'll believe it when I see it. Obama is and always has been a Centrist and...

He's appointed nothing but fellow centrists.

[Heidi]

7. Kick.

[Solly Mack]

8. K&R

excessive waterboarding

would be "narrow" in scope, focusing on "whether people went beyond the techniques that were authorized" in Bush administration memos that liberally interpreted anti-torture laws.


Snort

[katandmoon]

9. So that's the Obama administration idea of "justice" -- go after the underlings (not that they don't

deserve it -- they do!) who performed the torture only and let the Bush administration officials who actually AUTHORIZED the torture, off the hoook.

That's change we can believe in, all right!

[Hissyspit]

10. Mark Crispin Miller thinks this is bogus:

AG Holder envisions "an inquiry that would be narrow in scope, focusing on 'whether people went beyond the techniques that were authorized' in Bush administration memos that liberally interpreted anti-torture laws."

From prosecuting those who planned the torture, then, Holder will allow their "standards" to define this very case.

MCM

[TheWatcher]

11. Oooo, I'll bet there will be a lot of Empty Tough Talk and Stern Rhetoric

Maybe even a Strongly Worded Letter or Warning.

They DO love to Role Play.

[No Elephants]

12. Cough-farce-cough. Note to future war criminals: Get a letter from

a lawyer. Even if nobody believes it, they--and you--will be safe from prosecution. Even if torture started before the letter was written, they--and you--will be safe. So will the people who told the lawyer what they wanted the letter to say. The precedent has been set.

Forget the Geneva Conventions. Forget the Convention Against Torture. Neither is worth the paper it is written any longer. Only letters from sycophant lawyers matter. Only letters from lawyers looking for a federal judgeship like Bybee, matter. The precedent has been set.

America is no longer a country of laws, domestic or international. It's not about what the law says anymore. It's about what you can get a lawyer to pretend the law says. The precedents have been set.



May I suggest donating whatever amount you can to Amnesty International, whether one time or monthly?

https://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/site/c.jhKPIXPCIoE/b....

[Supersedeas]

15. then appoint the attorney who wrote the letter to serve on the National Courts

[johnhkennedy]

13. Only Prosecution deters Federal Crimes-Prosecute those Who Ordered the Torture

This trial balloon is designed to try to get away with a very
narrowly focused, very limited
investigation of only a few criminals who tortured using
methods worse than the
ALREADY ILLEGAL Torture Methods Approved In The Torture
Memos.

Unless we voters get a complete investigation of all the
abuses of power and violations of Federal Laws, Holder's
tightly focused, limited investigation of torture that
violated the "Bush Cheney Torture Memos" means
little or nothing.

The problem here is that Attorney General Holder seems to be
leaning toward a very narrow investigation about the
"wrong" Torture violations.

SEE our Federal Anti-Torture Law http://tinyurl.com/besdd3

Holder appears to be saying that the Bush "Torture
Memos" have the force of law, that the memos became new
torture law and that he only has to prosecute violations
which were outside of the Torture allowed by the memos. That
is false.

The "Torture Memos" themselves are a criminal
conspiracy to evade our Federal Anti-Torture Laws and to
render our Federal Torture Law moot.

The Torture Memos were "used to con normally law
abiding, patriotic CIA agents and
US Soldiers" into violating our existing Federal Torture
Laws.

A presidentially appointed lawyer can't make or change
Federal Laws no matter who appoints them. Bush and Cheney
attempted to ignore the law and put all who tortured or
conspired to torture, even if they meant well (chuckle), at
serious risk of prosecution.

We the people have to bring these creeps to justice or this
will happen again even when the Democrats are in power
(perhaps especially, remember President Johnson and Vietnam
and Operation Phoenix, thousands assassinated? The CIA
again).


Prosecute all those that tortured in our name, then go after
all the other Federal Crimes and violations of our
Constitution committed by Bush and Cheney. "Only
Prosecution deters crime".



SIGN THE PETITIONS
Demanding
both a Commission of Inquiry
and a Special Prosecutor
For All Their Crimes
        

http://ANGRYVOTERS.ORG

[Supersedeas]

14. narrow focus on actions BEYOND authorizations?? what about the authorizations themselves!?!