Conyers Renews Call for Investigation of Bush Administration Actions

[ProSense]

Conyers Renews Call for Investigation of Bush Administration Actions

By Daphne Eviatar 4/17/09

House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.) today issued not one but two press releases responding to the latest batch of Bush-era Office of Legal Counsel torture memos produced yesterday by the Justice Department in response to Freedom of Information Act litigation brought by the American Civil Liberties Union.

Conyers, of course, has been pressing for a “National Commission on Presidential War Powers and Civil Liberties,” composed of experts outside government “to investigate the broad range of policies of the Bush administration that were undertaken by the Bush administration under claims of unreviewable war powers.” Unlike Sen. Pat Leahy’s (D-Vt.) proposed “Commission of Inquiry,” the House bill, which has 27 cosponsors, would not provide immunity for officials who broke the law.

Today, Conyers praised President Obama, among others, for releasing the OLC memos yesterday, but emphasized that “critical questions remain.”

“As Americans digest the awful revelations in the Bush-era OLC opinions, our nation faces a critical choice – what will we do to ensure that abuses like those described in these memos are never again ordered by our leaders or justified by our lawyers? To me, the answer is obvious. We must have a full investigation of the circumstances under which these torture methods were created, approved, and implemented, preferably by an independent commission as I previously proposed. And if our leaders are found to have violated the strict laws against torture, either by ordering these techniques without proper legal authority or by knowingly crafting legal fictions to justify the torture, they should be criminally prosecuted. It is simply obvious that, if there is no accountability when wrongdoing is exposed, future violations will not be deterred.

Responding to an editorial in The Wall Street Journal today by former CIA Director Michael Hayden and former Attorney General Michael Mukasey criticizing the release of the memos, Conyers said:

To take just one example, today two former Bush Administration officials again took to the papers to justify these practices by claiming that the interrogation of Abu Zubaydeh had been a clear success and had led to the disruption of terrorist plots. Yet just two weeks ago, former Bush Administration officials who monitored this interrogation told reporters that ‘not a single significant plot was foiled’ as a result. The American people deserve a non-partisan answer to such fundamental questions

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[JuniperLea]

1. Always speak truth to their lies!

This cannot be said, or done, enough!

[PearliePoo2]

2. Yeah...I just heard Pat "rw shill" Buchanan

mouthing the same talking points that terror plots were foiled.
Bullshit....prove it.
Ok, Rep. Conyers....do IT this time. Were tired of strongly worded letters that get laughed at.

[rateyes]

3. Conyers, you fucking windbag asshole, do you listen to yourself when you speak?

You said, "it is simply obvious that, if there is no accountability when wrongdoing is exposed, future violations will not be deterred."

That's what we who wanted YOU to start impeachment hearings have been saying all along.

Yet you REFUSED to hold Bush and Cheney accountable for the wrongdoing that had been exposed.

You fucking, shitfaced hypocrite!

Go fuck yourself, John.

[PBS Poll-435]

4. I kind of feel the same way about Ol' John.

Make me chair of Judiciary by having the Democrats take over Congress and all of your investigatory dreams will come true...

[rateyes]

5. Where do I move so that I can vote for you?

:hi:

[PBS Poll-435]

7. Lol. No....

I was saying that John Conyers repeatdly said that if the Dems took Congress in '06, he would use the full force of the Judiciary Committee to investigate the Bush Administration.

He was on Randi Rhodes' show several times in the Summer/Fall of 06 and he talked about the Downing Street Minutes and all that.

JohnConyers.com *ding*
JohnConyers.com *ding*
JohnConyers.com *ding*
JohnConyers.com *ding*
JohnConyers.com *ding*

[ProSense]

8. You know

Impeachment is a stupid response for war crimes.

Now if they could have mounted a war crimes trial, that would have been great.

Impeachment's most severe punishment is removal from office. That was not going to happen with Repub idiots representing half the Congress.

Conyers is doing what everyone should be doing right now: calling for an investigation and prosecution.

Yelling stupid shit is irrelevant.

[old guy]

6. Yawn.

I don't mean to be critical John, but until I actually see something...well yawn again.

[ProSense]

9. Well, maybe you can get out there and champion the cause. n/t

[old guy]

10. Well, actually I think I have.

I have called my Senators and Reps and I have put my name on any number of petitions with several organizations. There is no will in the Admin. or the congress for this to happen now and perhaps there never will be. If it happens I'll be the first to say I was wrong but I'm going to hold breath until it does.

[salguine]

11. The ball was squarely in your court, Conyers, and you made it a point

to sit on your hands. FUCK YOU.

[Thrill]

12. Well go ahead and investigate. You don't need approval. You're the Chairman

[thereismore]

13. Conyers? Once revered, now just a sad representative. nt

[Laelth]

14. If only I could believe he was serious about it. n/t

:dem:

-Laelth

[avaistheone1]

15. I would love to see such an investigation happen, but the

Democrats don't seem to have the political will and courage to do so. What a let down and a stinking shame.

I feel like we have been played.

[Vidar]

16. Sorry, I trusted you for too many years Mr. Conyers. Take action for once.