Part the first:
As you might remember I heard Ashcroft refusing to give that torture memo to
the Judiciary Committee, possibly setting himself up for a citation of
Contempt of Congress. Here's the Washington Post article in today's paper
about it:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24867-2004Jun8.html
Ashcroft Refuses to Release '02 Memo
Document Details Suffering Allowed In Interrogations
By Susan Schmidt, Washington Post Staff Writer, Wednesday, June 9, 2004;
Page A01
Attorney General John D. Ashcroft told Congress yesterday that he would not
release a 2002 policy memo on the degree of pain and suffering legally
permitted during enemy interrogations, but said he knows of no presidential
order that would allow al Qaeda suspects to be tortured by U.S. personnel.
Angry Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee called on Ashcroft to
provide the document. They said portions that have appeared in news reports
suggest the Bush administration is reinterpreting U.S. law and the Geneva
Conventions prohibiting torture.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said the memo on interrogation techniques
permissible for the CIA to use on suspected al Qaeda operatives "appears to
be an effort to redefine torture and narrow prohibitions against it." The
document was prepared by the Justice Department's office of legal counsel
for the CIA and addressed to White House counsel Alberto R. Gonzales.
The 50-page Justice Department memo said inflicting physical or
psychological pain might be justified in the war on terrorism "to prevent
further attacks on the United States by the al Qaeda terrorist network." It
added that "necessity and self defense could provide justifications that
would eliminate any criminal liability."
The Bush administration has said that the discussion in the memo
notwithstanding, al Qaeda and Taliban detainees, including those held at
Guantanamo Bay, have been treated in accord with international conventions
prohibiting torture.
The memo and a second written by Pentagon lawyers surfaced in news reports
this week amid the ongoing abuse scandal at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison. The
documents reflect discussions on the legality of softening prohibitions
against inflicting pain on al Qaeda suspects abroad, saying the practice may
sometimes be justified.
Ashcroft's hard-line approach to the war on terrorism has drawn criticism
from civil libertarians. This time, he came under fire during a scheduled
oversight hearing on a day that brought news of the memos.
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