Sen. Leahy Wants "Torture Memo"

President Authorized Abu Ghraib Torture, FBI Email Says
by New Standard Friday, Nov. 17, 2006 at 12:40 PM


Among a new batch of documents rights groups have forced the gov't to release, a Bureau communication refers to a presidential Executive Order endorsing some forms of torture witnessed at Iraq prison.

http://justanotherblowback.blogspot.com/2006/11/president-authorized-abu-ghraib.html

President Authorized Abu Ghraib Torture, FBI Email Says
by New Standard Staff

Dec. 21, 2004 - Repeated references in an internal FBI email suggest that the president issued a special order to permit some of the more objectionable torture techniques used at Abu Ghraib and other US-run prison facilities around Iraq. The email was among a new batch of FBI documents revealed by civil rights advocates on Monday. Other documents describe the initiation of investigations into alleged incidents of torture and rape at detention facilities in Iraq.

The email, which was obtained by the American Civil Liberties Union, represents the first hard evidence directly connecting the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal and the White House. The author of the email, whose name is blanked out but whose title is described as "On Scene Commander -- Baghdad," contains ten explicit mentions of an "Executive Order" that the author said mandated US military personnel to engage in extraordinary interrogation tactics.

An Executive Order is a presidential edict -- sometimes public, sometimes secretive -- instituting special laws or instructions that override or complement existing legislation. The White House has officially neither admitted nor denied that the president has issued an Executive Order pertaining to interrogation techniques.
http://sf.indymedia.org/news/2006/11/1733059.php

I do so hope that Cheney meets up with Lehey again.

I was under the mistaken impression that once we ship out these detainees to secret prisons those in other countries take over the treatment or interrogation of them. Now I find out that the CIA just interrogates them (wherever) over there. (Probably not news to anyone else.) Anyway, I am wondering why the Bush administration thought it would make a difference legally if our guys (CIA) are the ones pushing the boundaries on interrogation tactics just because it is another country in secret locations. Do the rules change if you are in another country?



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