CREW to Holder: New Torture Memos Mystery = documents were missing = obstruction

[L. Coyote]

http://www.citizensforethics.org/node/44227

25 Feb 2010 // When Office of Professional Responsibility's long-awaited report on the torture memos was released last week, it noted that the nearly 5-year investigation had not been "routine." The inquiry was hampered by a number of factors, including an "unprecedented" case load, but the most eyebrow raising impediment was this:

OLC initially provided us with a relatively small number of emails, files, and draft documents. After it became apparent, during the course of our review, that relevant documents were missing, we requested and were given direct access to the email and computer records of , Yoo, Philbin, Bybee, and Goldsmith. However, we were told that most of Yoo's email records had been deleted and were not recoverable. Philbin's email records from July 2002 through August 5, 2002—the time period in which the Bybee Memo was completed and the Classified Bybee Memo...was created—had also been deleted and were reportedly not recoverable.

On Thursday, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) requested that Attorney General Eric Holder launch in investigation into the deleted emails. CREW notes that at the very least the destruction of the emails flouts the Federal Records Act (FRA). But if the emails were deep-sixed intentionally, CREW says, there may be criminal implications.

In a statement, CREW executive director Melanie Sloan said ....... "Given the disappearance of millions of Bush White House emails, we shouldn’t be surprised that crucial emails also disappeared from the Bush Justice Department. The question now is what is the Attorney General going to do about it?....."

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CREW ASKS ATTORNEY GENERAL TO INVESTIGATE DESTRUCTION OF EMAILS RELATING TO TORTURE MEMOS

http://www.citizensforethics.org/node/44227

25 Feb 2010 // Washington, D.C. - Today, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) asked Attorney General Eric Holder to investigate the destruction of emails of at least two former high-ranking Department of Justice (DOJ) officials, John Yoo and Patrick Philbin, who were involved in drafting the Office of Legal Counsel’s (OLC) memoranda authorizing torture.

.......... Related Documents

* 2/25/10 - CREW Letter to Attorney General Holder (Torture Memos) // 2 mb
* 7/29/09 - OPR Torture Memos Report // 10.3 mb

[BeFree]

1. Hey Holder,

Whatcha holding back from us? Having a hard time with the Cheneyistas, are ya?

[babylonsister]

2. Leahy's on it...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=385&topic_id=438159

Sen. Leahy calls for investigation of Yoo emails

[leveymg]

3. Federal Records Act is toothless. No direct penalty for violation.

It's unlikely that an OOJ case could be made under these circumstances. That's the way they designed it. It merely provides a topic for sternly-worded letters and Congressional hearings that are never going anywhere and will never penalize anyone for War Crimes.

If Obama wanted Holder to do something real and meaningful, he'd have already gotten a Grand Jury to hand down indictments for violation of the Torture Act. But, like that's ever gonna happen . . .

[L. Coyote]

4. And not much interest in war crimes these days

in Obama's inner Republican circle.

[Echo In Light]

5. thanks for posting