Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Legal News Blogs -> JURIST - The Paper Chase

Legal News

: JURIST - The Paper Chase

Congressmen call on Mukasey to explain counterterrorism pardons comments

By Bernard Hibbitts (editor) and University of Pittsburgh School of Law students.

[JURIST] Two US congressman on Thursday sent a letter to US Attorney General Michael Mukasey, calling on him to explain comments he made Wednesday about pardoning US counterterrorism officials for their controversial policies. Mukasey told reporters at a news conference that he did not see a need to issue a blanket pardon because there was no evidence that anyone who developed controversial interrogation, eavesdropping or other controversial policies did so under the belief they were acting illegally. Representatives John Conyers (D-MI) and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) wrote:e are troubled by the breadth of your statement and the blanket conclusion that everyone involved in approving these policies believed they were acting within the law. The public record reflects ample warning to Administration officials that its legal approach was overreaching and invalid, such as repeated objections by military lawyers to Department legal opinions on interrogation issues and the stark warning by then-Deputy Attorney General Comey that the Department would be "ashamed" if the world learned of the legal advice it had given on torture issues. . . . Accordingly, please explain the basis for your blanket conclusion that all Department actors believed their conduct in counterterrorism matters was lawful. Also Thursday, Amnesty International (AI) issued a statement expressing its concern over Mukasey's statements and calling for accountability for abuses committed during the "war on terror." Mukasey has previously defended government lawyers who wrote memos on the legality of harsh interrogation techniques such as waterboarding, emphasizing the legal complexity of the issues raised in the memos and criticizing the vilification of the authors. In January testimony before the Senate Judiciary Committee, Mukasey refused to pass judgment on waterboarding, and in February, he refused to launch an investigation into its use.

Full post as published by JURIST - The Paper Chase on December 05, 2008 (boomark / email).