Leahy Would Investigate Democrats, Too - Washinton Independent

[WillyT]

Leahy Would Investigate Democrats, Too
By Daphne Eviatar 2/22/09 12:10 PM

<snip>

In The New York Times’ Sunday piece on the “Truth Commission” proposed by Sen. Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) , which I wrote about last week, reporter Scott Shane notes that during an interview, Leahy said that any commission investigating abuse of detainees under the Bush administration should also investigate the role of Democrats in Congress who approved of the Bush policies.

While such investigations would be key to the legitimacy of any such commission, they may also be what dooms the idea from the start.

Despite the growing number of congressional Democrats who have come out in support of some sort of commission to investigate alleged Bush administration lawbreaking over the last eight years, it’s notable, though perhaps not surprising , that none of the Democrats who reportedly were briefed on the CIA’s abusive interrogation policies — including waterboarding — have signed on to Rep. John Conyers’ (D-Mich.) proposed legislation to investigate the Bush administration and Congress, or made any public statements favoring Leahy’s proposal.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), who acknowledges she was briefed on CIA tactics, recently grabbed headlines when she told Rolling Stone that she forsees prosecutions of Bush administration officials. However, she went on to specify that she’s interested in prosecuting former Bush administration officials such as White House Counsel Harriet Miers, Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and adviser Karl Rove for defying Congressional subpoenas — but not former Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Vice President Dick Cheney, Office of Legal Counsel attorney John Yoo or others for devising and approving policies that encouraged the torture and abuse of terror suspects. Pelosi also said she wants an investigation into the politicization of the Justice Department. But she has never publicly supported, so far as I can tell, an investigation into the legality of the Bush administration’s abuse, torture and humiliation of detainees. (Glenn Greenwald at Salon has done a thorough job tracking various Democrats’ knowledge and potential complicity in those tactics.)

When I asked Pelosi’s office a few weeks ago whether her early knowledge and apparent approval of the CIA’s tactics would affect whether she would support an investigation now, the only response I received was the following statement that she gave The Washington Post in December:

On one occasion, in the fall of 2002, I was briefed on interrogation techniques the Administration was considering using in the future. The Administration advised that legal counsel for the both the CIA and the Department of Justice had concluded that the techniques were legal.

I had no further briefings on the techniques. Several months later, my successor as Ranking Member of the House Intelligence Committee, Jane Harman, was briefed more extensively and advised the techniques had in fact been employed. It was my understanding at that time that Congresswoman Harman filed a letter in early 2003 to the CIA to protest the use of such techniques, a protest with which I concurred.

If that was the full extent of their knowledge, then neither Pelosi nor Harman should have much to fear from an investigation.

So if they were so concerned at the time that they protested, why aren’t they supporting Conyers’ bill to investigate now?

As I wrote last week in reviewing the death of a previous proposal for a commission back in 2005, any investigatory commission — whether a “truth commission” that would dole out immunities or an investigatory commission that could lead to prosecutions — would likely need not only the full support of Democrats, but the support of some Republicans as well (most notably Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.). But getting the Democrats in Congress to agree to look back at what really happened and acknowledge the roles of everyone involved is a critical first step.

<snip>

Link: http://washingtonindependent.com/30926/leahy-would-investigate-democrats-too

Well... that seems to explain the reluctance...

:banghead:

:shrug:

[OffWithTheirHeads]

1. It's why impeachment was off the table

Reid and Pelosi, and probably others, were complicit.

The change we need is bigger than Obama. Until we throw out all of the corporate suckasses we will just get more of the same. The laws don't apply to our corporate masters.

[MiniMe]

12. The House impeaches, not the Senate

[spanone]

2. i say go wherever the investigation leads

[WillyT]

6. I Agree...

:hi:

[pacalo]

3. Frankly, I'd like to know why Democrats went along -- investigate away.

[FLAprogressive]

4. Good! I wanna see people like Fein$tein and Harman in jail with * and Cheney.

[acmavm]

5. Have at it. Root 'em all out. They're all war criminals.

[OmmmSweetOmmm]

7. I have no problem with that. Country and the rule of law before Party.

[BlooInBloo]

8. Phew! Bestill my flutterin' heart! His talk is SOOOOOO tough!

[jtrockville]

9. Can Congress really be trusted to investigate itself?

Would you expect the truth if you asked a bank robber (or any other criminal) to investigate themselves?

I say no. Leahy's commission will inevitably be a whitewash.

[lunatica]

10. Accountability is universal

We all haz it

[lunatica]

11. Unfortunately Leahy also believes in not punishing them, just in admonishing them and

making it a crime for anyone who does these things in the future. See, it's a win win. Nancy Pelosi et al should jump at the chance, because down the line she may actually be held accountable.

[EFerrari]

13. Congressional Democrats claim they did not know what the briefings signified

which is of course self serving denial.

[Lugnut]

14. That's fine with me.

Let the chips fall where they may.