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Not prosecuting torture
Ben Smith's Blog —
... Obama and his aides have hinted that they'd be looking forward, and not back,on torture, and Eric Holder just made it official, Eli Lake reports: ...
Holder's Promise
Taylor Marsh —
... There’s a story today in the Washington Times that Eric Holder promised personally that there would be no prosecutions looking backwards on interrogation. ...
Sen. Bond: Holder 'Gave Me Assurances He's Looking Forward' On Torture Prosecutions
TPMMuckraker —
... Sen. Kit Bond told the Washington Times today that Attorney General nominee Eric Holder privately "gave me assurances he is looking forward" on the issue of prosecutions of former Bush officials who authorized torture or operatives who carried out the policy. ...
AG Nominee Eric Holder Vows No Guantanamo Torture Prosecutions
Politics Daily —
Filed under: Senate, Republicans, Terror, Obama AdministrationPresident Obama's choice to be the nation's chief law enforcement officer, Attorney General nominee Eric Holder, won approval from the Senate Judiciary Committee today in a lopsided 17-2 vote. That much was not surprising. His nomination will now be considered by the full Senate; where despite some questions about his role in the Clinton Justice Department, he will likely be confirmed. What is surprising, however, is the pledge that Holder reportedly made to Republican Senators on the Judiciary Committee to gain a majority of their support. Holder promised not to bring prosecutions ...
Quid Pro Ho
N/A —
Eric Holder is a pro at the quid pro quo. Attorney General Nominee gets his pass by passing up prosecutions on wiretapping and torture. Great.
Prosecutorial and investigative judgments must depend on the facts and no one is above the law, Mr. Holder wrote [in response to Republican senators questions]. But where it is clear that a government agent has acted in ‘reasonable and good faith reliance on Justice Department legal opinions’ authoritatively permitting his conduct, I would ...
Quid Pro Ho
Shakesville —
Eric Holder is a pro at the quid pro quo. Attorney General Nominee gets his pass by passing up prosecutions on wiretapping and torture. Great. Prosecutorial and investigative judgments must depend on the facts and no one is above the law, Mr. Holder wrote [in response to Republican senators questions]. But where it is clear that a government agent has acted in 'reasonable and good faith reliance on Justice Department legal opinions' authoritatively permitting his conduct, I would find it difficult to ...
Leading Senate Dems Dismiss Report That Holder Promised No Torture Prosecutions
TPM Election Central —
... The Washington Times reported today that Attorney General nominee Eric Holder has privately assured Sen. Kit Bond (MO) and other Republicans that the Obama DoJ will not prosecute intelligence officials who engaged in harsh interrogations. ...
Dear Progressives: we beat you on national security issues. Love, the neoconservatives.
RedState: Conservative News and Community —
More in a bit, but let the pain start now:
President Obama’s choice to run the Justice Department has assured senior Republican senators that he won’t prosecute intelligence officers or political appointees who were involved in the Bush administration’s policy of “enhanced interrogations.”
Sen. Christopher “Kit” Bond, a Republican from Missouri and the vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said in an interview with The Washington Times that he will support Eric H. Holder Jr.’s nomination for Attorney General because Mr. Holder assured him privately that Mr. Obama’s Justice ...
Did Holder Promise No Torture Prosecutions?
Firedoglake —
As I posted, both Sheldon Whitehouse and Pat Leahy suggest that--even though John Cornyn and others made an inappropriate demand that Holder promise not to prosecute any Bushies--Holder did not make that promise.
But right as that came out, the Moonie Times came out with a Kit Bond interview claiming that Holder had made such promises. (h/t Wigwam) ...
Amygdala — HOLDER GIVING IN TO POLITICAL PRESSURE to not follow the law? Say it isn't so. [...] Sen. Christopher "Kit" Bond, a Republican from Missouri and the vice chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, said in an interview with The Washington Times that he will support Eric H. Holder Jr.'s nomination for Attorney General because Mr. Holder assured him privately that Mr. Obama's Justice Department will not prosecute former Bush officials involved in the interrogations program. Mr. Holder's promise apparently was key to moving his nomination ...
100 Days Of Grace? No Chance!
Newshoggers.com —
... - Apparently Holder promised the GOP that there would be no prosecutions for those carried out torture and perhaps even for those who ordered it. It doesn't matter ...
Aide: Holder Has Made No Decisions On Prosecuting Bush Officials
The Huffington Post | Full News Feed —
An aide to Eric Holder rejected a report Wednesday suggesting that the Attorney General nominee had pledged not to prosecute members of the Bush administration officials who were complicit in illegal harsh interrogations or torture.
"Eric Holder has not made any commitments about who would or would not be prosecuted," said the aide. "He explained his position to Senator Bond as he did in the public hearing and in responses to written questions."
The statement came hours after the Washington Times quoted Senate Judiciary Committee member Kit Bond saying Holder had privately insisted that he would not conduct such prosecutions. That report caused a stir on the ...
Aide: Holder Has Made No Decisions On Prosecuting Bush Officials
Politics on HuffingtonPost.com —
An aide to Eric Holder rejected a report Wednesday suggesting that the Attorney General nominee had pledged not to prosecute members of the Bush administration officials who were complicit in illegal harsh interrogations or torture.
"Eric Holder has not made any commitments about who would or would not be prosecuted," said the aide. "He explained his position to Senator Bond as he did in the public hearing and in responses to written questions."
The statement came hours after the Washington Times quoted Senate Judiciary Committee member Kit Bond saying Holder had privately insisted that he would not conduct such prosecutions. That report caused a stir on the ...
Wednesday's Mini-Report
Political Animal —
... , 17 to 2. Only Sens. Coburn and Cornyn voted against him. * Speaking of Holder, Sen. Kit Bond (R-Mo.), the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said Holder assured him that he wouldn't prosecute Bush administration officials who committed acts of torture. ...
Wash Times
Sister Toldjah —
Did Holder assure GOP on “torture” prosecutions?
Bipartisanship is just another word for date rape
the talking dog —
... least in theory, a filibuster if all 41 can hold the line, and where just a few weeks ago, the President and Vice-President and Secretaries of State and Interior were all colleagues of that august body... but then again, maybe not. It seems maybe not, indeed, from the Republicans in the Senate, as on something that the Republicans regard as a core value-- not punishing criminality by the super-rich or especially by high government officials (as long asthey are Republicans)... to wit, the Rev. Moon's paper claims that Sen. Kit Bond of Missouri was promised by nominee for ...
Newspaper Roundup for Jan. 29, 2009
CNSNews.com Headlines —
Home News National CNSNews.com Newspaper Roundup for Jan. 29, 2009 Thursday, January 29, 2009 By Susan Jones, Senior Editor Jerusalem Post/The Guardian: 'US drafts conciliatory letter to Iran' USA Today: Poll: Almost half of Americans want to live somewhere else Fox News: Hackers Crack Into Texas Road Sign, Warn of Zombies Ahead Washington Times: Stimulus has plum for lawmaker's son Boston Globe: Stimulus: Only 5 percent of $819b plan would go toward infrastructure San Francisco Chronicle: Obama made tactical error in calling out Rush Limbaugh Limbaugh is talk host king, not leader of GOP ...
Re: Without Objection
The Corner on National Review Online —
Monday, April 27, 2009 [image] Re: Without Objection [ Andy McCarthy ] Ha ha ha! CIA / CYA! What a riot! But when the uncontrollable guffaws die down, here's what I'd like to know from Senator Bond. Some of us argued that Eric Holder was not suitable for Attorney General. Among the lengthy list of problems we cited, again and again, was that he had promised a "reckoning" for Bush administration officials who had been involved in interrogations and other post-9/11 national security policies that have kept this country safe from additional attacks. Don't be ridiculous, scoffed our Republican sages. For you see, unlike the rest of us, they'd gotten to spend quality time with ...
Thanks for nothing, Victoria Toensing
Patterico's Pontifications —
[Posted by Karl]
Victoria Toensing, former chief counsel for the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, former deputy assistant attorney general, criminal division, and cable news fixture, seems outrageously outraged about Attorney General Eric Holder’s decision to to investigate possible abuses by CIA interrogators in using harsh tactics on terror detainees:
“All volunteers step forward. We have a person in custody who is high-ranking al-Qaeda. He taunts that an attack on United States soil is imminent but laughs mockingly when we ask for specifics. We need interrogators.” Such was the threat in the summer of 2002 when the CIA asked the Justice ...
