Slaughter Vows to Fight New Senate Bill To Supress Torture Photos

[chill_wind]

Slaughter Vows to Fight New Senate Bill to Set Aside FOIA

Washington, DC –

Congresswoman Louise M. Slaughter issued the following statement today, after the Senate agreed by unanimous consent last night to exempt any detainee photos taken since 2001 from the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. “I’m disappointed that so many members of Congress have so little commitment to the Freedom of Information Act that they would set it aside for political expediency,” Slaughter said. “These photos are unlikely to show anything new and we do more harm than good by continuing to cover up the mistakes of the past. The press has a responsibility to hold government accountable and FOIA laws have been a crucial part of that process since 1966 when the Johnson Administration signed them into law. A free press has always been a hallmark of our freedoms and making detainee photos exempt from FOIA is a bad move and one I will oppose.”

### United States House of Representatives 312 The Capitol • Washington, DC 20515 [phone] phone • [phone] fax • www.rules.house.gov

The Bill (DU Discussion):

Obama-backed Bill to Ban Release of Bush-Era Torture Photos Passes Senate

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=389&topic_id=5881449&mesg_id=5881449

OMB Watch

Senate Quietly Passes Bill to Hide Torture Evidence


On Wednesday night, the Senate quietly passed legislation to exempt photographs of detainees being tortured by U.S. personnel from the Freedom of Information Act. Further stunning the spirit of open government, they did so by unanimous consent.

http://www.ombwatch.org/node/10135#comment-4340

S.1285

Detainee Photographic Records Protection Act of 2009

http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-s1285/show

[ima_sinnic]

1. even Feingold, Boxer, Kerry, and Kennedy voted in favor of the cover-up

maybe our Representatives will have more courage and not be so corrupt and complicit. The bill could fail to pass the House. What will the "constitutional scholar" do then? Apparently he will issue an executive order. It's that important to him to aid and abet war criminals and torturers. "Justice" is for the little people--you know, pot smokers. Mass murderers get a pass when they have half the US Treasury in their personal bank accounts.

[chill_wind]

2. I hear you. We knew what Harry Reid would do.

I have no idea where Nancy Pelosi is on this. The House version of this (HR 2785) introduced from earlier this past week had 74 Co-Sponsors.

http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-h2875/show

[ProSense]

3. How do you know who voted for it?

It was passed by unanimous consent, which means there votes aren't on record.

[chill_wind]

4. You are right-- a recorded vote might yield a slightly different record

I would love to believe Feingold for example would oppose it.

[chill_wind]

5. edit- wrong space.

[mkultra]

6. you cant have slaughter without laughter

[chill_wind]

7. Her statement on 6-12: A Victory for Democracy and Open Government

When the amendment was dropped.

Rep. Louise Slaughter
U.S. Congresswoman from New York's 28th District
Posted: June 12, 2009 07:12 PM

A Victory for Democracy and Open Government

Thursday night we learned that a provision banning the release of prisoner abuse photos was dropped from the supplemental war spending bill. At its core, this is a major victory for democracy and open government because it means that the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) will be left intact.

For the past weeks, I have been fighting to preserve FOIA. For me this was not about the photos but upholding one of the strongest pieces of legislation our government has ever passed to guard against abusive government secrecy.

With specified exceptions, FOIA grants access to federal agency records and disputes over this access should be settled in court. Simply put, by granting access to government information, FOIA ensures transparency in our government. At the same time, if there is good reason for information not to be released publicly, then the Administration can win in court for the information to be withheld.

What happened recently, however, is that there was a proposal to circumvent this process by attempting to insert a provision into a supplemental spending bill that would retroactively change FOIA by allowing the government to suppress any pictures taken between September 2001 and January 2009 relating to the treatment of war detainees. To suspend FOIA for this period of time could have far reaching implications and inhibit our ability to look into the conduct of the war.

Over the past weeks, we have heard many reasons for why these pictures should not be released publicly. Under our law, it is up to the Administration to argue these reasons and for the courts to decide if they are valid.

Regardless of what an individual legislator believes, myself included, about the release of these images, congressional intervention is inappropriate and undermines government transparency standards that have been in place for over 40 years.

Let me be clear -- I am immensely proud of our troops and have a long history of backing initiatives to protect them overseas and provide for them when they return home. But I also respect what they are fighting for -- our country and our country's values.

Resorting to extreme measures to get around the judicial process is a terrible precedent to set and not in line with the values we hold dear.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-louise-slaughter/a-victory-for-democracy-a_b_215101.html