No sanctions for 'waterboarding' lawyers

[The Straight Story]

No sanctions for 'waterboarding' lawyers

WASHINGTON, Jan. 31 (UPI) -- Bush administration lawyers whose secret memos approved waterboarding of terrorism suspects will not face sanctions, U.S. officials said.

The Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel concluded John Yoo and Jay Bybee used poor judgment but will not be referred for disciplinary action, a legal source who was not publicly identified told The Washington Post in a story published Sunday.

Yoo and Bybee's memos provided the basis for waterboarding and sleep deprivation to be used against terrorism suspects after al-Qaida's attack against the United States in 2001. Critics have likened the interrogation strategies to torture.

Yoo now teaches law at the University of California, Berkeley, and Bybee is a federal appeals court judge in Nevada.

A lawyer for Yoo said he had not seen the findings and could not comment, while Bybee declined to comment when contacted by The Post.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2010/01/31/No-sanctions-for-waterboarding-lawyers/UPI-69381264955939/