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Controversial Pentagon Official Resigns
Last week, Col. Morris Davis, the former prosecutor told reporters that he'd had a conversation with the Pentagon's general counsel William Haynes, during which Haynes had said about the Gitmo tribunals that "We can't have acquittals, we've got to have convictions."
It made Haynes, already a controversial figure because of his role crafting the Pentagon's interrogation policies, even more controversial. Davis said that he resigned when he was put under Haynes' chain of command.
And now Haynes is gone.
A press release this afternoon from the Department of Defense:
The Department of Defense announced today that General Counsel of the Department of Defense William J. Haynes II is returning to private life next month.Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates said of Haynes, “I am sorry to see Jim leave the Pentagon. I have valued his legal advice and enjoyed working with him. Jim held this important post longer than anyone in history and he did so during one of America’s most trying periods. He has served the Department of Defense and the nation with distinction.”
Said Haynes, “I thank the President and the Secretary of Defense for their confidence and for the opportunity to serve. I leave the Pentagon humbled and inspired by the selfless sacrifices of the men and women, uniformed and civilian, who defend our country. And, I thank their families.”
Haynes had already tried to move out of the Pentagon once -- the White House nominated him to be a federal appeals court judge, a nomination that ultimately failed due to Democratic opposition.
Josh
Zachary
So now can CCR or some other person file a complaint for war crimes against the bastard?
February 25, 2008 7:05 PM | Reply | Permalink
Curious, this is timed just after DOJ OPR commented on their pending referrals to DC Bar on illegal memoranda US government personnel have issued, or evidence of their failure to meet attorney standards of conduct. One Haynes memo appears to fall within DoJ OPR review in re potential attorney disbarment referral:
- Is Haynes going to remain an attorney, or is he worried about the DOJ OPR referral?
- Who has Haynes hired as private counsel to defend him before the DC Disciplinary Board?
- What's Haynes' plan if he gets disbarred: Will he join a foundation as a consultant?
February 25, 2008 7:45 PM | Reply | Permalink
The Haynes resignation letter echoes of the US Atty resignation letters: Pre-coordinated, orechstrated, and in lie of an overt firing.
We seem to have come full circle: TPM took off when it rallied on the US Atty firings. Those firings were a problem. Today's apparent firing looks like a victory.
TPM: 2
Bush: 0
February 25, 2008 7:49 PM | Reply | Permalink
SO glad. So glad. And kudos to Col. Davis for revealing to the MSM what a spitwad Haynes really is.
February 25, 2008 8:16 PM | Reply | Permalink
As an Australian observer, can I just say this is great news.
Our former PM John Howard invited Dick Cheney to a BBQ in February 2007. He told Cheney he needed to get David Hicks out of Gitmo, because after 5 years without due process the story had become a political embarrassment. Not that Howard cared about Hicks, but there was an election due and the polls were looking bad.
So Cheney contacted Susan J. Crawford, the Defence Department's top military commission official, who just happened to be Cheney's former inspector general (from 1989 to 1991, when Cheney was defense secretary).
And Crawford put pressure on Haynes, who duly threw whatever farcical laws were in existence out the window. Hicks was offered a plea bargain, which he took so he could come home, but he is still gagged from talking to the press.
Even US Defence Secretary, Robert Gates (Rummy v2.0) said the Hicks verdict lacked credibility. Gates was just in Australia, talking to our new PM Kevin Rudd, so I suspect he was involved with this decision.
So when is Susan J. Crawford resigning?
February 25, 2008 8:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
As an Australian observer, can I just say this is great news.
Our former PM John Howard invited Dick Cheney to a BBQ in February 2007. He told Cheney he needed to get David Hicks out of Gitmo, because after 5 years without due process the story had become a political embarrassment. Not that Howard cared about Hicks, but there was an election due and the polls were looking bad.
So Cheney contacted Susan J. Crawford, the Defence Department's top military commission official, who just happened to be Cheney's former inspector general (from 1989 to 1991, when Cheney was defense secretary).
And Crawford put pressure on Haynes, who duly threw whatever farcical laws were in existence out the window. Hicks was offered a plea bargain, which he took so he could come home, but he is still gagged from talking to the press.
Even US Defence Secretary, Robert Gates (Rummy v2.0) said the Hicks verdict lacked credibility. Gates was just in Australia, talking to our new PM Kevin Rudd, so I suspect he was involved with this decision.
So when is Susan J. Crawford resigning?
February 25, 2008 8:20 PM | Reply | Permalink
Losing his sovereign immunity couldn't happen to a nicer guy.
February 25, 2008 8:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Good to see he's gone.
Now when might we this evildoer brought to justice?
~
February 25, 2008 8:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Hallelujah Amen!
One more glad glimmer of justice appearing to be done. Perhaps we are allowed to begin to hope justice will indeed be done (extraordinary notion) and he and Suzy and the superabundance of crooks will be brought to full public accounting. If Heaven were to intervene further it would take place in the World Court. Just the thing to impress upon them a more sober respect for the law and the rule of law.
The admiration for Col. Davis gets a heartfelt affirmative from me.
February 25, 2008 9:51 PM | Reply | Permalink
Don't get too jizzy for Col. Davis, Felix.
He was happy to let Hicks rot for five years and convinced the man deserved it, with or without a fair hearing.
He was in this up to his eyeballs, and only drew the line when the mud started tickling his eyebrows (to use a rather poor analogy).
February 25, 2008 10:57 PM | Reply | Permalink
Taxi to the Dark Side wins and Oscar.
Next day Haynes decides to sniffle and hand in his tiara.
It certainly would be nice if Discovery had decided to go ahead and air, rather than kick over to HBO who may air in Sept, or not.
Every blow landed, pulpifying Dilawar's legs, is a blow with Haynes' name all over it. He has personal ownership of a piece of every scream, a piece of every sob, a piece of every despairing and failed effort to get some drops of water, a piece of every shattering heart skip and flutter, a piece of every terrified effort to breath that wracked that body.
And that is one. He owns pieces of so many many more.
I'm glad he's planning on taking some time to enjoy what he owns.
February 25, 2008 11:32 PM | Reply | Permalink
Bless your passion.
I want my America back.
February 26, 2008 7:30 AM | Reply | Permalink
Mary2002,
Did you know the co-producer of "Taxi to the Dark Side" was an Aussie? She only had time to say "Thank you" on stage, but after the Oscars ceremony she told a radio station:
"The current administration are a bunch of war criminals and they need to be stopped. People need to know what's going on."
Bravo, Eva Orner.
NB: Orner's movie beat Michael Moore's "Sicko" for the award. She had dinner with Moore and others after the ceremony. I doubt he would have been too upset by her triumph.
February 26, 2008 12:07 AM | Reply | Permalink
Point taken. But the time is sure right, more than it could have been before. The boil is beginning to burst. It’s beginning to seem remotely imaginable that we may manage to clean it of all the major infection. That’s change I could believe in. I know, the tooth airy and Santa Claus; but there’s been a flood of good news very lately, mostly unforeseeable (it seems).
Anyhoo whether I completely agree with your summary or not; there are a good many yet who seem oblivious to what they’re drowning themselves in. He’s thus still fighting an ugly riptide.
And, I do think that’s an admirable note; that he was “happy to testify”. That there’s a grace note in my book.
And yeah, Taxi.. But we could pretty see that good news coming. Have I mentioned before? Check out a wonderful interview with Alex Gibney at bloggingheads.tv. Not going to do a link, theirs is not well worked out yet. Fine vintage.
February 26, 2008 12:08 AM | Reply | Permalink
Mr. Haynes,
Please pay particular attention to the walk/don't walk signals in my neighborhood.
The crosswalks here are torturous.
February 26, 2008 7:39 AM | Reply | Permalink
I am concerned about the lack of serious media coverage for the following item which I hope TPM will encourage.
I understand that Robert Wexler, a Rep from New York and two other Reps submitted a resolution for impeachment of Cheney but I have not seen anything about it. I hope this comnent wil help to makeit known not only to other bloggers but with pressure on Congress and the Senate to debate its significance.
February 26, 2008 9:57 AM | Reply | Permalink
ghandi - No, I didn't realize that. Thank you for the link.
February 26, 2008 6:52 PM | Reply | Permalink