Bush veto of CIA bill survives
Mar 12 at 12:12pm by Macranger
“House Democrats on Tuesday failed to overturn President Bush’s veto of a bill that would have prohibited the CIA from using waterboarding and other harsh interrogation techniques on terrorist suspects.
The vetoed legislation would have limited the CIA to using only the 19 interrogation methods approved in the Army field manual. That guidebook bans the use of waterboarding, a technique that simulates drowning. CIA Director Michael Hayden has confirmed that the spy agency used the technique on three terrorist suspects in 2002 and 2003.
The 225-188 House roll call was 51 votes short of the two-thirds majority required to overturn a veto. Bush has vetoed seven bills during his tenure, and only once has Congress mustered the votes to override his veto.
The interrogation limits are part of a bill authorizing intelligence spending for the current fiscal year. Bush vetoed it on Saturday. It is the first intelligence authorization bill produced by Congress in three years.
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Silvestre Reyes, D-Texas, attempted to frame the vote as a human rights referendum. “This is about torture,” he said, a refrain repeated by other Democrats who spoke in support of the override.
Republicans portrayed their support for Bush’s veto as a stand against a bill they say is riddled with pork-barrel projects like a National Drug Intelligence Center and a study of the national security implications of global warming.”
So much for the “Lame Duck” tag eh?
Judge: No evidence that Bush Administration violated court order
Jan 9 at 6:06pm by Macranger
Sure to drive Glenn Greenwald to waterboard his cat.
” A federal judge refused on Wednesday to delve into the destruction of CIA interrogation videos, saying there was no evidence the Bush administration violated a court order and the Justice Department deserved time to conduct its own investigation.
The decision by U.S. District Judge Henry H. Kennedy was a victory for the Bush administration, which had urged the courts not to wade into a politically-charged issue already being investigated by the Justice Department, CIA and Congress.
The CIA has acknowledged that in 2005 it destroyed videos of officers using tough interrogation methods while questioning two al-Qaida suspects.”
A rather surprising, but good decision. Let the investigation into the non-story continue.
DOJ to look into CIA tapes
Jan 2 at 12:12pm by Macranger
Here we go. Mukasey caving in to demands by partisan morons (Democrats), is openning the Pandora Box of Boondoggles:
“The Justice Department opened a criminal investigation into the destruction of CIA interrogation videotapes and Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey appointed an outside prosecutor to oversee the case.
The CIA acknowledged last month that it destroyed videos of officers using tough interrogation methods while questioning two al-Qaida suspects. The acknowledgment sparked a congressional inquiry and a preliminary investigation by Justice.
“The Department’s National Security Division has recommended, and I have concluded, that there is a basis for initiating a criminal investigation of this matter, and I have taken steps to begin that investigation,” Mukasey said in a statement released Wednesday.
Mukasey named John Durham, a federal prosecutor in Connecticut, to oversee the case.”
Durham, the “Avenging Angel” who has a BIG BONE for the FBI. This should prove to be comical. The classic FBI vs. the CIA with the DOJ refereeing.
The REALLY interesting thing to see is all the subpoenas that will be issued to Democrats on the Senate and House intelligence committees who we know knew of the tapes and said nothing back when it wasn’t politically expedient.
Other than that get ready to piss away more taxpayer dollars on a “He said, she said”.
UPDATE: Here is Mukasey’s statement:
“This preliminary inquiry was conducted jointly by the Department’s National Security Division and the CIA’s Office of Inspector General. It was opened on Dec. 8, 2007, following disclosure by CIA Director Michael Hayden on Dec. 6, 2007, that the tapes had been destroyed. A preliminary inquiry is a procedure the Department of Justice uses regularly to gather the initial facts needed to determine whether there is sufficient predication to warrant a criminal investigation of a potential felony or misdemeanor violation.
The opening of an investigation does not mean that criminal charges will necessarily follow. An investigation of this kind, relating to the CIA, would ordinarily be conducted under the supervision of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, the District in which the CIA headquarters are located. However, in an abundance of caution and on the request of the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, in accordance with Department of Justice policy, his office has been recused from the investigation of this matter, in order to avoid any possible appearance of a conflict with other matters handled by that office. As a result, I have asked John Durham, the First Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, to serve as Acting United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia for purposes of this matter. …
Earlier today, the Department provided notice of these developments to Director Hayden and the leadership of the Judiciary and Intelligence Committees of the Congress.”
Like I said, trouble for Democrats on the House and Senate Intel Committees.
UPDATE II: Lefties are NOT happy with this as expected.
