Leahy Wants Truth Commission To Investigate BushCo

Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy, who is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, says a “truth commission” should look into the Bush Justice Department to “get to the bottom of what happened” on the issues of torture, surveillance, and interrogation.

Leahy called his proposal a “middle ground” between those critics of the Bush administration seeking to prosecute officials, and others wishing to concentrate on the future as opposed to investigating the past. “We need to be able to read the page before we turn it,” said Leahy.

Asked his position on investigations of his predecessor at Monday night’s news conference, Obama said no one is above the law, but that he wants to look forward.

What I have said is that my administration is going to operate in a way that leaves no doubt that we do not torture, that we abide by the Geneva Conventions, and that we observe our traditions of rule of law and due process, as we are vigorously going after terrorists that can do us harm. And I don’t think those are contradictory; I think they are potentially complementary.

My view is also that nobody’s above the law and, if there are clear instances of wrongdoing, that people should be prosecuted just like any ordinary citizen.

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.