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Conyers: DoJ Probe Should "Not Be Used as Shield" for CIA
Who'll be the lucky Justice Department official?
Today House Judiciary Committee Chair John Conyers (D-MI) wrote Attorney General Michael Mukasey to request that a Department official show up for a hearing he's scheduled this Thursday on the interrogation of detainees. You see, he doesn't think too much of the Department's decision to rebuff all Congressional investigation of the CIA's destruction of the torture tapes. "Parallel congressional and executive investigations occur frequently, and therefore should not be used as a shield against proper and necessary oversight," is the way he puts it.
And he wants "a high level official to testify on this subject matter, specifically including the Department’s attempts to forestall legislative or judicial inquiry."
So which DoJ official will get to explain to dozens of lawmakers why Congressional probes should shut down until the DoJ reaches its conclusion? Probably whoever has bad luck with Rock, Paper, Scissors.
Conyers' letter is below.
December 17, 2007The Honorable Michael Mukasey
Attorney General of the United States
U.S. Department of Justice
950 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20530Dear Mr. Attorney General:
I am writing to follow up on communications by my staff to the Department regarding the Judiciary Committee’s hearing this Thursday on the "Applicability of Federal Criminal Laws to the Interrogation of Detainees." The Committee has requested orally to the Office of Legislative Affairs that the Department provide an official to testify at this hearing. Our interest in hearing from a Department official is more urgent in the wake of your December 13th response to the Committee’s December 7th letter requesting information pertaining to the destruction of the CIA videotapes showing interrogations of detainees. In that December 13th letter, you refused to provide our Committee with any of the requested information, other than a statement that an investigation is pending. Letters to other congressional committees similarly declined to provide information and asked that congressional investigations be delayed for an indefinite period of time. The Department has also resisted judicial inquiry into these issues.
As you well know, this Committee has jurisdiction over the Department and an obligation to perform meaningful oversight of the Department’s activities, and other committees have oversight responsibilities concerning the CIA. We also note that congressional precedent dictates that parallel congressional and executive investigations occur frequently, and therefore should not be used as a shield against proper and necessary oversight. In light of the importance of the issues surrounding the Department’s investigation into the destruction of the CIA tapes, we expect that the Department will provide a high level official to testify on this subject matter, specifically including the Department’s attempts to forestall legislative or judicial inquiry.
Sincerely,
John Conyers, Jr.
Chairmancc: Hon. Lamar S. Smith
Hon. Jerrold Nadler
Hon. Robert C. Scott
Hon. William Delahunt
Hon. Trent Franks
Hon. Louie Gohmert
Hon. Brian Benczkowski
Comments (16)
Anonymous wrote on December 17, 2007 5:22 PM:Conyers has no credibility. He's in charge of Judiciary, and should stop "saying" what should or shouln't happen, but start an investigation, and forward the evidence to the House for an impeachment. Conyers is still acting like he's in the minority.
He's got the power, and refuses to assert it. Time to stop talking about "what might happen" and just do it, Conyers.
Lacey wrote on December 17, 2007 5:48 PM:Well he needs to get on with more important things like the baseball inquiry.
Long Memory wrote on December 17, 2007 5:49 PM:The CIA can skate under these Democrats
Here's hoping there are some people in the rank and file who are watching the craven behavior of the Democratic leadership and planning the coup that needs to take place in 2009 -- if the Dems are lucky enough to retain control.
The plan ought to be to replace every last so-called leader who has proven spineless in the presence of this imperial Presidency.
On my list is Pelosi and virtually all the top leadership of the House and Senate. What jellyfish. That includes Conyers and all the other people who talk a good game about what ought to happen and what they plan to do and then never deliver.
Most of all: Harry Reid. If you're scoring at home, it's 475 Americans since he took the helm in the Senate and found out he couldn't deliver the 60 votes needed to even vote on our course in Iraq. Is there a more spineless creature in nature than a jellyfish? Yes, it's Harry.
Doc rock wrote on December 17, 2007 5:57 PM:We could do with less posturing and bravado and more action. Congress continues to disappoint us bitterly.
714Day wrote on December 17, 2007 6:05 PM:And who put Mukasey in?
parrot wrote on December 17, 2007 7:26 PM:This is all so pathetic.
Those of us who type out our impotent righteous indignation will accomplish just as much as our "representatives" will against this criminally insane cabal that runs the show.
That amounts to nothing but hot air, of course.
Best get on with Impeachment...before it is your turn there, Congress.
linda wrote on December 17, 2007 7:27 PM:yeah, john. so what the fuck ya gonna do about it. i see you wrote a letter. i hope it was harsh (i won't bother to read it).
perhaps you should hold another hearing. then you can bloviate for endless minutes, leaving the witnesses no time for detailed responses. and then your democratic colleagues, having no clue about the details, meander off on completely unrelated topics.
yeah, have another fucking hearing.
Al in Austex wrote on December 17, 2007 8:51 PM:There is a lot of discontent today with the Democratic Leadership .I view the democratic machinations with at least three different moving pieces.First Madam Speaker & Leader Reid- have considerably misread the politics of the 2006 & now the 2008 election cycles. Reid & Pelosi are dead wrong in taking the impeachment of Cheney off the table. Cheney's impeachment hearings & trial in the Senate would be the campign vehicle to ride all the way to victory in 2008.
Al in Austex wrote on December 17, 2007 8:53 PM:Second the Committee Leaders would love to bring impeachment proceedings against Cheney . My working hypothesis is that Conyers & Leahey are waiting for a critical mass of evidence to be reached whereby its no longer tenable for Pelosi/Reid to stonewall the base -and we go forward with iMPEACHMENT.
Third piece of my hypothesis is that there are now some very serious members of the various DC "communities" - such as the CIA that do want ever so much to regain their tarnished reputations & to bring Bushcheney to justice . It is credible to believe at this time that the Spooks released the torture tapes to aid & abet Conyers ability to reach critical mass to override Pelosi/Reid 's desire to keep impeachment off the table.
Fourth piece of my working hypothesis is that some smart Presidential Campaign Operator will figure out that taking on BushCo directly will garner wide support in the Base, and most probably will play well in the general election . We may be are seeing Senator Obama's campaing doing that by speaking out against Tanner at the DOJ . Why the Edwards campaign is not already doing a frontal assault on Cheney in the context of impeachment is puzzling at best ..
I do not know why Pelosi /Reid do not want to impeach Cheney . I do believe however that Conyers will eventually bring Impeachment charges - we do need to help him overcome our fleckless leadership namely Reid & Pelosi .
Maybe instead of every one bitching about the Democrats you all might spend your time better going to Wexler Wants Hearings and sign the e-petition calling for impeachment.
This ain't near over yet - we just need to keep our eyes on the prize -
"Revenge is a dish best served cold "
There is a lot of discontent today with the Democratic Leadership .I view the democratic machinations with at least three different moving pieces.First Madam Speaker & Leader Reid- have considerably misread the politics of the 2006 & now the 2008 election cycles. Reid & Pelosi are dead wrong in taking the impeachment of Cheney off the table. Cheney's impeachment hearings & trial in the Senate would be the campign vehicle to ride all the way to victory in 2008.
Jim Coughlin wrote on December 17, 2007 10:18 PM:Second the Committee Leaders would love to bring impeachment proceedings against Cheney . My working hypothesis is that Conyers & Leahey are waiting for a critical mass of evidence to be reached whereby its no longer tenable for Pelosi/Reid to stonewall the base -and we go forward with iMPEACHMENT.
Third piece of my hypothesis is that there are now some very serious members of the various DC "communities" - such as the CIA that do want ever so much to regain their tarnished reputations & to bring Bushcheney to justice . It is credible to believe at this time that the Spooks released the torture tapes to aid & abet Conyers ability to reach critical mass to override Pelosi/Reid 's desire to keep impeachment off the table.
Fourth piece of my working hypothesis is that some smart Presidential Campaign Operator will figure out that taking on BushCo directly will garner wide support in the Base, and most probably will play well in the general election . We may be are seeing Senator Obama's campaing doing that by speaking out against Tanner at the DOJ . Why the Edwards campaign is not already doing a frontal assault on Cheney in the context of impeachment is puzzling at best ..
I do not know why Pelosi /Reid do not want to impeach Cheney . I do believe however that Conyers will eventually bring Impeachment charges - we do need to help him overcome our fleckless leadership namely Reid & Pelosi .
Maybe instead of every one bitching about the Democrats you all might spend your time better going to Wexler Wants Hearings and sign the e-petition calling for impeachment.
This ain't near over yet - we just need to keep our eyes on the prize -
"Revenge is a dish best served cold "
Maybe off topic but is anybody else outraged seeing that aipac asshole Liebermann endorsing McCain? Reid says we need him, he has stabbed the dems at every opportunity. In 2006 Lamont might have won, we see Bill Clinton with his arm around him , then Reid gives him a committee chair. This outfit looks like some kinda ol boys club, the dems take that "distinguished colleague" shit to heart while the repubs are eating their lunch. Believe me people, the voters may get so disgusted they stay home if these guys don't show some spine.
improper wrote on December 18, 2007 12:34 AM:Very well-written and pretty letter. Flowery language and nice, although this pattern is boring, stale and, most important, utterly ineffective unless backed by decisive action (so conspicuously absent to date) in support of the strong language.
You and your staff, no matter how impressive their degrees or how wealthy their families, are pretenders and proven failures. Ken and Barbie would be more effective. Go to sleep you feckless fucks! Sweet dreams Conyers.
Mike wrote on December 18, 2007 2:54 AM:You talk a great fight Conyers.
Landmine wrote on December 18, 2007 8:44 AM:You are right on, ANON,
Amy wrote on December 20, 2007 9:26 AM:Like "Tuco" in the good the bad and the ugly, says: "When it's time to shoot, shoot. Don't talk".
Oh, how naive. You actually think that the DOJ will send a representative? It's Dec. 20th now, Conyers is holding the hearing, and no DOJ official appeared to testify.
jacqueline wrote on December 21, 2007 10:53 AM:ACLU lawyer Megan Lewis told the judge she believes the government has pictures of abuse beyond the Abu Ghraib images that sparked outrage around the world after they were leaked to the media last year.
jacqueline wrote on December 21, 2007 10:56 AM:--
She said the judge's findings likely would clear the way for the release of other pictures of detainees taken around the world by U.S. authorities.
"I do think they could be extremely upsetting and depict conduct that would outrage the American public and be truly horrifying," she said outside court.
The images, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told Congress, depict "acts that can only be described as blatantly sadistic, cruel, and inhuman." After Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) viewed some of them in a classified briefing, he testified that his "stomach gave out." NBC News reported that they show "American soldiers beating one prisoner almost to death, apparently raping a female prisoner, acting inappropriately with a dead body, and taping Iraqi guards raping young boys." Everyone who saw the photographs and videos seemed to shudder openly when contemplating what the reaction would be when they eventually were made public.
--
By that time, the executive and legislative branches had learned their lesson: Don't release images. The day after the Berg video, members of Congress were allowed to see a slide show of 1,800 Abu Ghraib photographs. The overwhelming response, besides revulsion, was, in the words of Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner (R-Va.), that the pictures "should not be made public." "I feel," Warner said, "that it could possibly endanger the men
ACLU lawyer Megan Lewis told the judge she believes the government has pictures of abuse beyond the Abu Ghraib images that sparked outrage around the world after they were leaked to the media last year.
--
She said the judge's findings likely would clear the way for the release of other pictures of detainees taken around the world by U.S. authorities.
"I do think they could be extremely upsetting and depict conduct that would outrage the American public and be truly horrifying," she said outside court.
The images, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld told Congress, depict "acts that can only be described as blatantly sadistic, cruel, and inhuman." After Sen. Saxby Chambliss (R-Ga.) viewed some of them in a classified briefing, he testified that his "stomach gave out." NBC News reported that they show "American soldiers beating one prisoner almost to death, apparently raping a female prisoner, acting inappropriately with a dead body, and taping Iraqi guards raping young boys." Everyone who saw the photographs and videos seemed to shudder openly when contemplating what the reaction would be when they eventually were made public.
--
By that time, the executive and legislative branches had learned their lesson: Don't release images. The day after the Berg video, members of Congress were allowed to see a slide show of 1,800 Abu Ghraib photographs. The overwhelming response, besides revulsion, was, in the words of Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner (R-Va.), that the pictures "should not be made public." "I feel," Warner said, "that it could possibly endanger the men