abielak February 28, 2007, 11:02 AM

Army’s Surgeon General Knew Of Outpatient Conditions Before WaPo Article
“Though he has since dodged the question in a television interview, the officer in charge of medical care for the U.S. Army was told more than two months ago that the Army’s outpatient medical care program was dysfunctional, yet he apparently took no action in response. The Army’s outpatient services include the substandard treatment at Walter Reed Army Medical Center that has been the subject of a number of recent articles in the Washington Post and a series of stories in Salon in 2005.” (Salon)

Brig Official Confirms Padilla’s Treatment Claims
“With no clock, watch or natural light to guide him, terrorism suspect Jose Padilla was jailed at a Navy brig in timeless isolation while anonymous jailers monitored him around the clock, a brig official testified Tuesday. The disclosures in a federal courtroom by Sanford Seymour, technical director of the Navy detention facility in Charleston, S.C., confirmed for the first time some of the conditions of Padilla’s detention. His defense attorneys contend that Padilla’s sensory deprivation and treatment were tantamount to torture.” (The Los Angeles Times)

Gitmo Detainees Hope for Quick Ruling
“Foreigners imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay want the Supreme Court to rule quickly on their legal rights, before the justices go off on their summer break. Lawyers for two men detained nearly five years who face military trials as early as this summer asked the court Tuesday to hear their cases on a rare fast track.” (Associated Press)

Top Congressional Night Spots
ABC’s blog The Blotter has compiled a list of the top DC night spots for congressional lobbying, providing a window into the behind-the-scenes wining and dining that helps direct policymaking in the capitol. (ABC’s The Blotter)

Gov. Watchdog Seeks Investigation on California GOP Rep.
“Government watchdog group Democracy 21 singled out Rep. John Doolittle (R-Calif.) for special scrutiny yesterday, renewing its call for the ethics committee to conduct an investigation into multiple potential ethics violations by the lawmaker.” (The Hill)

Kerry Goes After Nominee for Swift-Boat Funding
“A Senate hearing that began with glowing tributes to a St. Louis businessman and his qualifications to become ambassador to Belgium turned bitterly divisive Tuesday after he was criticized for supporting a controversial conservative group. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., grilled nominee Sam Fox about why he donated $50,000 to the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth during the 2004 presidential race.” (Associated Press)

Terror Trial Muddied by Faked Documents
“The mystery of how and why a government wiretap summary falsely attributed anti-Jewish slurs to officials of a Muslim charity remained unanswered Tuesday as federal prosecutors pledged to look into the matter. In court papers filed late Monday, the U.S. attorney’s office in Dallas said it was trying to determine how the recently declassified summary of a 1996 FBI wiretap of the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development included vitriolic language that was not found in a verbatim transcript of a recorded conversation.” (The Los Angeles Times)

Senator’s Railroad Connection Could Have Stopped Loan
“The federal government killed a $2.3 billion railway loan after opponents attacked Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.), because he was the railway’s lobbyist before winning election and backing legislation favoring the loan to his former client.” (The Washington Post)

Inquiry From Deliberating Libby Jury
“One week into their deliberations, jurors in the CIA leak trial have a question for the judge. Jurors passed a note to U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton at the end of the day Tuesday. Walton said he will address the issue in court Wednesday morning.” (USA Today)

Frmr Justice Official: More Ethics Regulations Likely
In a Tuesday forum, former Justice official Joshua Hochberg said that an expansion of ethics regulations was likely to occur in the interest of monitoring the increased role of government contractors. Hochberg added that the government’s unprecedented level of indirect spending could be a further impetus for greater public scrutiny. (Government Executive)

Senator Demands Protection for FBI Whistleblowers
“A senior Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday asked the FBI whether it planned to discipline senior supervisors after a ruling by a federal jury that the bureau retaliated against a former veteran agent. Sen. Charles E. Grassley, Iowa Republican, said in a letter to FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III he was assured by the director on “many occasions” he would not tolerate retaliation against FBI whistleblowers and asked how he now intended to deal with the supervisors held accountable for the acts of retaliation.” (The Washington Times)

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