« previous | MUCK HOME | next »

NYT: DOJ Report Recommends Reopening Prisoner Abuse Cases -- Holder Now "All But Certain" To Probe Torture
President Obama's desire to look forward, not back, is turning out to be easier said than done.
Last week, Newsweek reported that the long awaited CIA report on torture, set to be released today, reveals that agency interrogators staged mock executions of detainees.
And this morning, the New York Times reports that, according to a source, another long awaited report -- this one by the Justice Department's Office of Professional Responsibility -- has recommended reopening nearly a dozen prisoner abuse cases, a move which could expose agency employees and contractors to criminal prosecution. Some of the cases looked at by OPR involve the death of detainees in U.S. custody.
The report has been under preparation for over five years, and its release has been eagerly awaited by members of Congress and others. It was reportedly submitted to Attorney General Eric Holder several weeks ago.
Newsweek reported earlier this year that a draft of the report was critical of the Bush DOJ lawyers, including John Yoo, who issued opinions backing the use of harsh interrogation techniques.
The Times now rates it "all but certain" that Holder will appoint a prosecutor to look into Bush-era abuses.
We'll bring you the details on the CIA report when it's out.

















I'm waiting for that report to come out. As I'm waiting for Holder to simply do his job, not just repeat the obscene abuses of the Bush administration.
August 24, 2009 10:51 AM | Reply | Permalink
I have on thing to say: YES!
And let it be a prosecutor to look into EVERYTHING and EVERYONE! Especially those at the TOP of the bush cabal.
August 24, 2009 11:25 AM | Reply | Permalink
Perfect timing! Attract the GOP to the torture issue and HCR will have a much easier run of it! But please, don't just make a threat of this issue. We really do need to address our darkest secrets so we can return to a place of respect in the world. It's deplorable what we have done to our prisoners most of all, but it is also pathetic what we have done to ourselves by committing these atrocities.
August 24, 2009 1:04 PM | Reply | Permalink