'Torture memo' author, former attorney general, to testify (John Yoo)

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

'Torture memo' author, former attorney general, to testify
41 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — A former Justice Department lawyer who wrote a now-repudiated memo allowing harsh interrogations of military prisoners has agreed to testify to Congress about those practices, say House Judiciary Committee officials who spoke on condition of anonymity because the panel has not yet made the announcement.

John Yoo, now a law professor at University of California-Berkeley, has agreed to testify to the House Judiciary Committee voluntarily about the Bush administration's interrogation practices after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

Yoo's memo, dated March 14, 2003, outlines legal justification for military interrogators to use harsh tactics against al-Qaida and Taliban detainees overseas — so long as they did not specifically intend to torture their captives.

Former Attorney General John Ashcroft, former Under Secretary of Defense Douglas Feith, and former Assistant Attorney General Dan Levin have also agreed to give testimony at a future hearing. Former CIA Director George Tenet is still in negotiations with the committee.



Read more: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iakd9i9QHJn3MgPadkhBZT4X2-HAD90G65HO4

[Ian David]

1. About time! n/t

[Solly Mack]

2. "... still in negotiations ..."

So...what's the deal being offered?

[bemildred]

3. Good.

:popcorn:

It is a sad day for America when a crime is not a crime if you didn't "intend" to commit a crime.

[HereSince1628]

4. It'll be a whole lot of "I'm sorry I can't answer that for reasons of executive priviledge"

But if he shows up that puts pressure on the other neonutz to show up.

[mrcheerful]

5. Oh boy another 8 to 16 hours of hearing "I don't recall", I'll get back to you on that"

"it wasn't my ideal",and all the rest of the crap neo-cons repeat at these hearings. Then a contempt charge that gets ignored and yet again we see another neo-con smirk as they walk off scott free.

[coalition_unwilling]

6. I wonder who the brilliant genius on the UC-Berkeley Law faculty

was who secured this war criminal's appointment to the UC-B professoriat?

Any UC-Berkeley folks reading this have any idea?

[grasswire]

7. Is Yoo a Moonie?

Planted to subvert the Constitution?

[defendandprotect]

8. The USA is supposed to be setting humane standards, not undermining them !!!

This is a lawyer-criminal -- !!!

[mbperrin]

9. He's at Berkeley?

WHEN did Berkeley become a hideout for wacko rightwingers?

[druidity33]

11. not only that

but the Dean of the Law School there defended his hiring!

:shrug:

[Supersedeas]

13. and the ABA is eerily silent

[SlingBlade]

10. WAR CRIMINAL !

[LynnTheDem]

12. "harsh tactics" = TORTURE.

Evey single one of those "harsh tactics" this sick MFer "justified" is TORTURE under the Geneva Conventions, which is America's "suprreme law".

Even under US law and US military law, those "harsh tactics" are TORTURE and ILLEGAL.

Unless of course we're under a dictatorship where The Decider gets to do whatever the fuck he wants as a "unitary executive" (what a fancy name for "dictator"!)