Bush officials lobbying Obama Justice Department to ‘water down’ torture report.

[ProSense]

Bush officials lobbying Obama Justice Department to ‘water down’ torture report.

The Justice Department’s Office of Professional Responsibility is expected to release a long-awaited report that will reveal the conduct of senior Bush administration lawyers who authorized torture. Newsweek reported recently that the report is “causing anxiety among former Bush administration officials.” Now, the Washington Post is reporting that Bush officials are lobbying the DOJ to weaken the report’s conclusions:

Former Bush administration officials are lobbying behind the scenes to push Justice Department leaders to water down an ethics report criticizing lawyers who blessed harsh detainee interrogation tactics, according to two sources familiar with the efforts.

In recent days, attorneys for the subjects of the ethics probe have encouraged senior Bush administration appointees to write and phone Justice Department officials, said the sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the process is not complete.

<...>

UPDATE NPR says that the DOJ report "will refer former Justice officials to the bar for possible disciplinary action, which means they could be disbarred. But they also suggest that the investigation may stop short of recommending criminal charges."

Lobbying?

:wtf:

[louis-t]

1. So now criminals can hire lobbyists to badger DOJ?

I'm stunned.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

2. "Water down" LOL!

yeah right! Perhaps the Bush officials shoud be waterboarded.

[Senator]

3. The criminal charges recommend themselves.

But go back to bed America. It was all bad lawyering and policy differences.

And we need torturers polluting the ranks of our intelligence agencies because ... well, people we actually know might be publicly embarrassed, or lose their pensions, or even have to go to country club prison. It would be a "mushroom cloud" of beltway discomfort.

So, go back to bed America.

--