AG HOLDER SPEAKS!!!!!!!!!!! (RE: TORTURE)

[Beetwasher]

Holder: 'follow law' in US interrogation probe 22 Apr 2009 16:36:57 GMT
Reuters and AlertNet are not responsible for the content of this article or for any external internet sites. The views expressed are the author's alone.
(Updates with background)

WASHINGTON, April 22 (Reuters) - Attorney General Eric Holder on Wednesday said the Justice Department will follow the law wherever it leads in probing U.S. officials behind CIA interrogation policies.

His comments came a day after President Barack Obama opened the door to possible prosecutions of U.S. officials from the previous administration of George W. Bush who prepared the legal groundwork for the use of harsh interrogation methods on terrorism suspects, including waterboarding.

"We're going to follow the evidence wherever it takes us, follow the law wherever that takes us," Holder said to reporters at an Earth Day event.

--SNIP--

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N22549021.htm

PROSECUTIONS ARE COMING!!!!!!!

Hey Dick? Can you feel the heat? How's your pacemaker holding up you fucking piece of shit?

[polichick]

1. Oh boy, what'll we hear from Cheney now???

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

2. "I was out of the loop."

[polichick]

3. LOL

[bdamomma]

9. he wasn't part of the executive body, what a POS he is.

[livetohike]

4. Yes we can!

In the words of the immortal Jimi Hendrix "So where do I purchase my ticket? Id just like to have a ringside seat." This will be fun :-).

[Ninga]

5. A caller into the Bill Press radio program strongly suggested that Obama hands off

approach to prosecute was a set up for the Cheney's and Rove's to mouth off.

His premise was that Obama sounding weak was a set up and Cheney took the bait.

Cheney's interviews this week, in which he opens his mouth asserting the President releasing the memos on torture, is making this country weaker, was just the opening Obama needed to turn this over to Holder.

Seems as though Holder was rather prepared...doesn't it?

Smart, smart President Obama.

[Beetwasher]

7. Cheney's Comments Are FURTHER EVIDENCE Against Him!!

The arrogant fuck is making the case against himself, giving Holder more ammunition and writing his epitaph.

"You can't handle the truth!"

[bdamomma]

10. Cheney is falling into the trap, keep talking Dick!

[Bankhead_ATL]

11. Oh No A trap......

[Beetwasher]

13. ?

Yeah, and? :shrug:

[Bankhead_ATL]

16. just joken...But Dick is in hot water

[Hutzpa]

17. Yeah! he was having a the Blago moment

foaming at the mouth.....

:evilgrin:

[Cha]

19. Yes, he is intelligent enough

to pull this off in spite of the Machiavellian deviousness of the cheney gang and the corporatemedia.

[jbnow]

24. It always was Holder's whatever Obama said but I agree that

Obama wasn't holding back and saying "move forward" because he didm't want prosecutions. The republicans like to say the tea parties were organic and grass roots...well that's what Obama wanted this to be...but when he released the memos it was set in motion as surely as Fox did the tea party movement.

I also agree that cheney felt freer because Obama is "too nice" to do anything about it.

I couldn't believe what Rahm was saying, in fact I didn't believe it and wouldn't until Obama said it. I know he specified who should not be prosecuted bu Holders statement on that was even stronger...that those who stayed within the limits of what they were told was not torture they would actually defend. But that seemed like it left open the door to some of them in CIA who went further and it certainly left the door open to others not in the CIA.
If Holder hadn't put out a statement about protecting those who carried it out I would have been shocked Obama said they shouldn't be prosecuted because that is not his call and he has to be very aware of that.
I think Obama always knew it would go further...but not from him. He is not an investigator, he is not a prosecutor.

Rahm? Strange. I have no idea where he was coming from...even if he believed that Obama preferred no prosecutions that was stupis, stupid.

Rahm may have believed Obama wanted no prosecutions...I think of reading about his time as president of law review when they'd be having some debate that would go on for hours. Everyone would think Obama agreed with them (though they were in the same meeting). Obama wouldn't have stated his position, just listened and asked them questions until they reached some consencus.
So maybe whatever debates they had on this issue Obama was asking questions and listening and Rahm walked out of it sure Obama felt the same way he did.
But still why would Rahm be such an ass regarding DOJ

[Uben]

6. There's a really big problem, though..........

....and that is finding a statute in American law to prosecute them under. You would think that would be no problem, but as it turns out, they are having a difficult time finding a statute they have violated.

[Beetwasher]

8. Are You Out Of Your Fucking Mind?

They tortured. It's a violoation of Geneva conventions, for starters.

[Windy]

14. Where in the world did you read that? Post a link...

I find that hard to believe in light of the Geneva Conventions and INTERNATIONAL LAW

[Uben]

I heard it from some guy from the justice dept on TV

He was saying you can't prosecute the people who did the torturing because they were following orders. You can't prosecute the ones who told them to torture because they were following the legal opinions given by the OLC. You can't prosecute the lawyers because there is no law that says they can't give an opinion. I think this is why the AG says they will follow the law to where it takes them. Hopefully, they can find a violation that is prosecutable. Some of the laws require the ones tortured to be on American soil to be valid.
I too thought there would be no problem prosecuting these assholes, but it looks like they may have done their homework!

[Beetwasher]

22. LOL! "Some Guy..."

Yeah, ok. :rofl:

We are bound by the Geneva conventions. Those who ordered the torture and facilitated broke the law. Period.

[Hekate]

12. Cornered rats are very dangerous. I hope to God our Prez is being protected extraordinarily well. nt

[Phx_Dem]

15. The SS needs to have a 24-hour watch on DarthCheney.

He's gonna come unglued and he's a scary piece of shit.

[polmaven]

18. I'm sorry if this sounds

cold and uncaring, but I sure hope Cheney doesn't die of a heart attack before we can watch him SQUIRM in a courtroom when the jury is about to announce its verdict!!

[annabanana]

20. Hallelujah!

We will watch a firestorm blowback... and we will defeat it.

[mvd]

21. That sounds very reasonable to me

Following the law was something forgotten for 8 years.

[SeaLyons]

23. Justice for Valerie too!!

Treasonous traitor.....

[MasonJar]

25. I hope y'all are right. However, I'll believe it when the first happens.

So far it has been reasons to avoid investigation. Has the Obama group finally heard the people? The kicker seems to have been Rahm on Sunday. I wonder how much negative feedback his interview inspired for it seems to have at least minimally raised some indications that the DOJ might initiate investigation of Bush era lawbreakers.

[Cha]

26. I hope there's enough "evidence" to

lead the prosecutors straight to cheney's undisclosed location.

And, as someone said..don't let Fitzgerald anywhere near the job.