Army's probe of abuse questioned

[Spazito]

WASHINGTON -- For weeks, top Pentagon officials have rebuffed questions over who bears ultimate responsibility for the Iraqi prison abuse scandal by referring to Pentagon investigations, such as a probe by Maj. Gen. George Fay of military intelligence procedures.

But even before the inquiries are complete, questions are being raised about whether the military should be investigating itself.

Some military experts worry that numerous investigations launched by the Pentagon--at least seven to date--in response to accounts of physical abuse, sexual humiliation and intimidation of detainees at Abu Ghraib prison and elsewhere may fail to comprehensively explain what happened, why, who is responsible and how such cases can be prevented.

The worries have prompted calls for a single commission with subpoena power, a budget and staff to take the lead in an investigation that could reach top levels of the Pentagon or even the White House.

more

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0405300214may30,1,1724575.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed

[w4rma]

1. Stating the obvious. (nt)

[UpInArms]

2. Worries?

More like obvious conflict of interest problems.

The worries have prompted calls for a single commission with subpoena power, a budget and staff to take the lead in an investigation that could reach top levels of the Pentagon or even the White House.

Like this partisan-hack group of pigs could ever investigate itself.

The mantra of the pigs is now: My party right or wrong shall never look in the mirror.

:puke:

[tabasco]

3. Often the Army will conduct honest and rigorous investigations...

into it's affairs, but this is way beyond the scope of a military-controlled investigation. Congress should appoint an independent team will full powers to expose who, what, when, where, and why.
- I do not trust the senior leaders which the Bush cabal has promoted to the top positions. They would do nothing but try to keep everything secret.
- There are a lot of good people in the military, but the corrupt Bush cabal has poisoned the senior leadership. The military has zero credibility anymore, and this is an unfortunate result of allowing criminals to take control of our country and our military.

[RedSock]

4. imagine allowing criminals to investigate themselves?

would we be surprised when he told the judge, "there is no evidence i did the crime"?

yet most moron-americans accept this.

[nolabels]

5. They already do

http://www.buzzle.com/editorials/text9-30-2003-46008.asp
Criminal Investigation Into Naming of Cia Agent
A political storm is today threatening to break over Washington after the White House was told to preserve telephone logs and documents ahead of a criminal investigation into the illegal naming of a CIA agent. Valerie Plame's name was allegedly given to journalists by Bush administration...
By Guardian Newspapers, 9/30/2003

A political storm is today threatening to break over Washington after the White House was told to preserve telephone logs and documents ahead of a criminal investigation into the illegal naming of a CIA agent.

Valerie Plame's name was allegedly given to journalists by Bush administration officials as an act of revenge against her husband, a former ambassador who this summer said that the US president, George Bush, had made false claims about the Iraqi nuclear programme.

The investigation comes amid accusations by Democrats and some Republicans that the US went to war on the basis of outdated and vague intelligence, and challenges the integrity of the Bush administration.

In an article published on July 6, Ms Plame's husband, Joseph Wilson, said intelligence reports that Saddam Hussein had tried to procure uranium from Niger were "highly doubtful", and that the White House had known as much when Mr Bush repeated them in his 2003 state of the union address.
(snip)

Here let me put a feather in my cap so I can sing yankee dooodle dandy

I am not buying it, the whole CIA \Plame\ Novak Thing is B.S.
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=104&topic_id=445076

[TahitiNut]

6. Are they probing it with a light stick or a night stick??

You'd better believe they'll whitewash it ... since Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Feith, and Cambone aren't known for a fair and balanced view of truth, justice OR the American Way.

"Don't Ask; Don't Tell" is more than just a motto.


(I wonder what the Navy would find if they were to investigate the Army?)

[Disturbed]

7. Military investigating itself.

That's like allowing Mafia to investigate itself and expecting them to hand in a damning report of all of their crimes.

[bobbieinok]

8. remember the 2000 missing pages from the Gen T report submitted

to the Senate committee.

And the pentagon spokesman who said it's no big deal; the info can be obtained in other places. (There was a long DU discussion on this in the last 4 or so days.)

[seemslikeadream]

9. Does the military have the power to investigate

the Department of the Interior?

[seemslikeadream]

10. Answered my own question, I think? thanks away

Inquiry targets Va. contractor at Iraq jail
CACI hired interrogators to question prisoners; Probe by Interior Department

Because the law governing crimes by contractors overseas, the Military Extraterritorial Jurisdiction Act, covers Department of Defense contractors, it is unclear whether it can be applied to contractors, such as CACI, that are technically working for the Department of the Interior.

Interior spokesman Frank Quimby said his department considers the Army to be a party to the contract but will let the Department of Justice determine whether the law applies. The Justice Department said last week that a contract worker in Iraq is under criminal investigation but did not name the person or his employer.
Quimby said no new work will be permitted under the blanket purchase agreement with CACI International until the inquiry is completed. People hired under the contract - including CACI's 27 interrogators in Iraq - will be allowed to complete their scheduled work, he said.

In a telephone briefing for reporters, Quimby acknowledged that an Interior contracting officer had only "infrequent and sporadic" communication with Army representatives overseeing the CACI work in Iraq. "But the Department of the Interior received no signs that anything was amiss with contract performance," he said.

Quimby said the Army is required to report to Interior "incidents of faulty or nonconforming work, delays or problems," but didn't in the case of CACI.After the prison abuse scandal arose, Interior's contracting officer contacted the Army to ask if it was satisfied with CACI's services. The Army said yes, Quimby said.

Quimby said about $3.3 million has been paid to CACI for interrogation and related services under two of 81 "delivery orders" since 2001 that are part of the blanket purchase agreement. Though the sum is tiny by comparison with the billions being spent on contractors in Iraq, the case shows how government contractors are given new work under long-term contracts without new competitive bidding.

more
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.contractor26may26,0,6735670.story?coll=bal-nationworld-headlines


Now Hiring: Park rangers, interrogators
Commentary: The wacky world of government contracts
ARLINGTON, VA (CBS.MW) -- We learned this week that civilian interrogators used by the Army at the Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad were hired under a Department of the Interior contract for information technology.

The Interior Department says one Army order to CACI for a year of interrogation support was worth $19.9 million. The "blanket-purchase agreement" it came under was the kind of contract more and more federal agencies favor these days -- although it had a limit of $500 million, it was worded so the government could buy goods and services quickly, without requiring separate bids or evaluation.

As Peter Singer of the Brookings Institution told the Baltimore Sun, that led to "placing a military interrogation task under Smokey the Bear." Not only does it sound silly, but it may end up costing more than doing the job directly. And it certainly creates an oversight problem -- the park rangers have enough to worry about this summer without having to investigate a prison scandal.

more
http://cbs.marketwatch.com/news/story.asp?guid=%7BF8607265-F5F6-4E14-BFBB-4C9039DE6CE1%7D&siteid=google&dist=google

Interior Department suspends contracts for Iraq interrogators amid probe
By Associated Press
Wednesday, May 26, 2004


Now Interior's internal watchdog is investigating the arrangement. The department, which normally oversees national parks and American Indian matters, has blocked the Army from ordering new services under the contract.

The confusing arrangement adds another layer to the uncertainty over who was in control of Iraqi prisoners and what rules governed treatment of the detainees. Army contract officials are supposed to keep contract workers in line and recommend punishment, Interior spokesman Frank Quimby said Tuesday.

The Army told Interior last week, however, that it had had no problem with the way CACI International Inc. was handling the work, even though an internal Army report has accused at least one CACI interrogator of participating in abuses.

http://news.bostonherald.com/national/view.bg?articleid=29466