Torture Memo Authors Did Not Commit Misconduct, Says DOJ
February 21st, 2010 - 10:05 pm ICT by GDBy Gina Gomez
Washington, Feb 21, (THAINDIAN NEWS) The Justice Department has concluded that two United States government lawyers, who furnished legal validation of the severe interrogations methods of the overseas terror suspects, could not be held responsible legally as they did not commit any professional delinquency. After almost five years of one of the most heated debates, the Justice Department has finally refuted the calls for stringent actions against the two attorneys, known to be the authors of so-called torture memos.
The internal review report that was released on Friday highlighted that the two lawyers John Yoo and Jay Bybee only showcased ‘poor judgment’ when they gave the CIA interrogators the authority to use harsh interrogation tactics in the wake of the 9/11 attacks which resulted in the extensive war against terrorism. Deputy Associate Attorney General David Margolis revealed in the statement, that the law licenses of the two attorneys should not be revoked because of their legal advice to the Bush administration in going ahead with the ruthless interrogation method that included waterboarding as a form of interrogation technique. At the same time, the report also stated that although the legal memos issued by the two lawyers were ‘flawed’, it could not be considered to be reckless as they knowingly did not give wrong advice to the Bush administration.
However, Judiciary Committee Senator Patrick Leahy, D-Vt, has emphasized that he is highly offended by the torture memos and also expressed concern about the contribution of these two attorneys in formulation of the controversial policies. Moreover, Patrick Leahy also reiterated that he intended to hold a hearing on February 26.
- 'Bush could be arrested abroad over sanctioning 'waterboarding' of terror suspects' - Nov 10, 2010
- 2002 War Detainees Became Medical Experiments During Interrogations, Say Doctors - Jun 08, 2010
- Spain moves to begin trial against Bush-era officials - Mar 30, 2009
- Torture memos' release to impact US counter terrorism: Stratfor - Apr 30, 2009
- Waterboarding used 183 times against September 11 mastermind - Apr 20, 2009
- 'Waterboarding' of terror suspects warded off attacks on Britain, claims Bush - Nov 09, 2010
- CIA interrogation methods are almost illegal, says lawyer - Apr 17, 2009
- Legal analysts question legality of targeting US lawyers in torture inquiry - Apr 22, 2009
- US appoints prosecutor to investigate detainee abuses - Aug 25, 2009
- Names Of Agency Lawyers Omitted In Memo To Destroy CIA Terror Tapes - Jul 27, 2010
- Obama releases CIA interrogation memos - Apr 17, 2009
- Justice Department memos prove US did not torture - Apr 18, 2009
- US obliged to go after CIA torturers, says UN monitor - Apr 18, 2009
- Ex-CIA Director Porter Goss Upset Over Destruction of Al Qaeda Interrogation Videos, Had Not Approved It - Apr 18, 2010
- Bush considered sending troops into New York - Jul 25, 2009
Tags: 9 11 attacks, associate attorney general, david margolis, deputy associate, gina gomez, government lawyers, interrogation method, interrogation tactics, interrogators, john yoo, judiciary committee, law licenses, legal memos, legal validation, patrick leahy, poor judgment, senator patrick leahy, terror suspects, torture memos, war against terrorism
