Justice Department Again Delaying Release Of Bush “Torture” Memos

[babylonsister]

http://theplumline.whorunsgov.com/probes-of-bush-administration/justice-department-again-delaying-release-of-bush-torture-memos/

Justice Department Again Delaying Release Of Bush “Torture” Memos


Obama’s Justice Department is again seeking a delay in releasing three key 2005 “torture” memos written for President Bush that offered legal justification for harsh interrogation, according to people involved in the negotiations.

Justice had until today to tell a court whether they’d release the memos, which were signed by Steven Bradbury in Bush’s Office of Legal Council and are being sought by the American Civil Liberties Union as part of a Freedom of Information Lawsuit.

The ACLU just confirmed to me that Justice lawyers have told the group that they will not release them today and have asked for more time. The ACLU and Justice are negotiating the terms of the extension as we speak.

The release of the memos is a big deal: They’re at the center of an internal battle going on within the Obama administration over how much to reveal about the legal justifications that Bush’s lawyers offered for torture, The Times reported recently. Some of Obama’s White House lawyers are reportedly urging quick release to distance the Obama administration from Bush practices. But CIA officials are claiming that doing so could expose intelligence methods.

The release of the memos could have far-reaching political implications, because their contents could ratchet up pressure on the Obama administration for a thorough review of the Bush years.

It wasn’t immediately clear why the Justice Department is delaying the release of the memos, which could reveal a great deal about how the Bush lawyers sought to justify torture. More when I know it.

[Ian David]

1. I expect that this will eventually take Pelosiown with the Repukes, as she was briefed on it. n/t

[shraby]

2. She was briefed, but how much actual information

was she given? Since it was classified, she can't talk about specifics.

[madrchsod]

3. obama said we do not torture anymore

so why bother bringing up old memories? it`s best we just put the past behind us and move on.


after all what will the rest of the world think of the united states if we aired our dirty laundry in public....?

[Winterblues]

4. The goal should be not to air our dirty laundry but to clean it.

If we don't clean it who will?

[TahitiNut]

5. Sunshine is the best disinfectant ... ecological, too.

:shrug:

[Solly Mack]

6. K&R

[ThomWV]

7. You know, what we're really looking to see is how preposterous their justification is

Because there can be no justification it means that what we are really looking for is to see just how absurd their argument is. We know beforehand that the argument that torture is somehow acceptable can not be won, indeed that the things done did not violate existing law and treaty is absurd to say. So it not a matter of questioning what they did, its just how badly the did it that intrigues us. That's how it seems to me.