Obama May Prosecute Interrogation Abuses

President Obama now says he’s open to prosecuting BushCo interrogation abuses including examining the work of the lawyers who wrote the torture memos.

Mr. Obama said once again that he does not favor prosecuting C.I.A. operatives who used interrogation techniques that he has since banned. But as for lawyers or others who drew up the former policies allowing such techniques, he said it would be up to his attorney general to decide what to do, adding, “I don’t want to prejudge that.”

While criticizing Obama for releasing information they think can hurt national security, one wonders if conservatives will now support Dick Cheney’s call to release previously classified information he claims will prove that harsh interrogation works.  Nice that Cheney is now calling for the kind of transparency that was lacking while he was in office.

Three Bush administration lawyers who signed memos, John C. Yoo, Jay S. Bybee and Steven G. Bradbury, are the subjects of a coming report by the Justice Department’s ethics office that officials say is sharply critical of their work. The ethics office has the power to recommend disbarment or other professional penalties or, less likely, to refer cases for criminal prosecution.

Obama apparently struggled for weeks while deciding how to respond to a Freedom of Information Act request that led to the release of the memos.  Thankfully he, along with Attorney General Eric Holder, believe that it’s best to level with the American public.

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.