|
 Michael
Bernard Mukasey
MICHAEL MUKASEY News:
20081203
Michael
Mukasey -  Karl
Rove -  Harriet
Miers -  US
Attorney -  Politics
-  Federal
-  Investigation
"Federal
Prosecutor Is Making Inquiries in the Investigation of the Dismissal of
U.S. Attorneys." ... "A prosecutor who is investigating
the dismissals of nine [United States] U.S. attorneys has been meeting
with defense lawyers, dispatching subpoenas and seeking information about
the events, according to legal sources familiar with the case." ... "Attorney
General Michael B. Mukasey appointed prosecutor Nora R. Dannehy two months
ago, after the department's Office of Inspector General and Office of Professional
Responsibility reported that they had hit a roadblock in their lengthy
probe into whether political interference prompted the dismissals. Internal
investigators said they had been stymied by the refusal of key witnesses,
including former [Republican President Bush] presidential adviser Karl
Rove and former White House counsel Harriet E. Miers, to cooperate." ...
"By naming a federal prosecutor to determine whether crimes have been committed,
the attorney general ensured that authorities would have the power to compel
testimony and documents. Dannehy, a longtime assistant U.S. attorney in
Connecticut, in recent weeks has met with lawyers and government officials
involved in the case. A grand jury in the District has issued subpoenas,
the sources said." ... "The requests for documents could provoke another
legal skirmish in a fight over the scope of executive power wielded by
the Bush administration." -By Carrie Johnson -WashingtonPost
20081114
 Don
E Siegelman - Karl
Rove - Michael
Mukasey -  Leura
G Canary -  Bob
Riley - Criminal
- US
Attorney - Politics
- Federal
-  Law
-  Alabama
-  Georgia
-  Michigan
"More
Allegations of Misconduct in Alabama Governor Case."
... "Next month in Atlanta [Georgia's capital], a federal court will hear
the high-profile appeal of former [Democratic] Alabama governor Don E.
Siegelman, whose conviction on corruption charges in 2006 became one of
the most publicly debated cases to emerge from eight years of controversy
at the [Republican President] Bush Justice Department. Now new documents
highlight alleged misconduct by the Bush-appointed [United States] U.S.
Attorney and other prosecutors in the case, including what appears to be
extensive and unusual contact between the prosecution and the jury." ...
"The documents, obtained by TIME, include internal
prosecution e-mails [PDF] given to the Justice Department and Congress
by a whistle-blower during the past 18 months. [Michigan Democratic Representative]
John Conyers, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, which investigated
the
Siegelman case as part of a broader inquiry into alleged political
interference in the hiring and firing of U.S. Attorneys by the Bush Justice
Department, last week sent an
eight-page letter [PDF] to Attorney General Michael Mukasey citing
the new material." ... "Conyers says the evidence raises "serious questions"
about the U.S. Attorney in the Siegelman case, who, documents show, continued
to involve herself in the politically charged prosecution long after she
had publicly withdrawn to avoid an alleged conflict of interest relating
to her husband, a top GOP operative and close associate of Bush adviser
Karl Rove. Conyers' letter also cites evidence of numerous contacts between
jurors and members of the Siegelman prosecution team that were never disclosed
to the trial judge or defense counsel." ... "Critics, including a bipartisan
group of 52 state attorneys general, have raised numerous questions, including
the allegation that Siegelman was prosecuted at the insistence of Bush-appointed
officials at the Justice Department and Leura G. Canary, a U.S. Attorney
in Montgomery [Alabama] whose husband [William "Bill" Canary] was Alabama's
top Republican operative and who had worked
closely with Rove for years." ... "The documents — whose authenticity
is not in dispute — include e-mails written by Canary, long after her recusal,
offering legal advice to subordinates handling the case. At the time Canary
wrote the e-mails, her husband — Alabama GOP [GOP=Grand Old Party=Republican
operative William J. Canary — was a vocal booster of the state's Republican
governor, Bob Riley, who had defeated Siegelman for the office and against
whom Siegelman was preparing to run again. Canary also received tens of
thousands of dollars in fees from other political opponents of Siegelman."
... "A key prosecution e-mail describes how jurors repeatedly contacted
the government's legal team during the trial to express, among other things,
one juror's romantic interest in a member of the prosecution team." ...
"What's more, when prosecutors conducted their own investigation of suspected
improper conduct by jurors after the trial, two of them were interviewed,
despite instructions from the judge that no contact with jurors should
occur without his permission. Those interviews were not publicly disclosed
until nearly two years later, when the head of the [Department Of Justice]
DOJ's criminal division belatedly wrote all parties, including the appeals
court in Atlanta, to inform them." ... "Further undisclosed evidence of
prosecution team members speaking with jurors following the verdict emerges
in [Justice Department staffer Tamarah] Grimes' written statement to the
DOJ." -By Adam Zagorin
-TIME.com
20081017
 Barack
Obama - Michael
Mukasey -  John
McCain - Political
- US
Attorneys - Law
- Investigation
- 2008
Election
"Obama
Lawyer Asks for Probe Into Vote-Fraud Claims (Update1)."
... "Robert Bauer, general counsel to the [2008 Election Democratic Presidential
Candidate Barack] Obama campaign, wrote to Attorney General Michael Mukasey
a day after the Associated Press, citing unidentified law enforcement officials,
reported that the Federal Bureau of Investigation was investigating ACORN.
The name is short for Association of Community Organizations for Reform
Now." ... "A special prosecutor appointed by Mukasey already is looking
into whether improper political considerations influenced the firings of
nine U.S. attorneys. At least one prosecutor was fired following Republican
complaints that he didn't aggressively pursue allegations of voter fraud
against ACORN." ... "Bauer said the news leaks are part of a coordinated
effort by [2008 Election Republican John] McCain's presidential campaign
and Republicans. They are ``fomenting specious vote-fraud allegations and
there are disturbing indications of official involvement or collusion,''
Bauer said." ... "``It is apparent,'' he wrote, that law enforcement officials
are serving ``improper political objectives'' that could inhibit voter
participation in the [2008 November] Nov. 4 election. The aim is to ``suppress
the vote and to unduly influence investigations and prosecutions,'' Bauer
wrote. " -By Jeff Bliss
-Bloomberg
Barack
Obama - John
McCain - Michael
Mukasey - Law
- Politics
- Investigation
- 2008
Election
"Obama
Camp Charges GOP with ‘Partisan Plot’ to Suppress Votes."
... "The [2008 Election Democratic Presidential Candidate Barack] Obama
campaign charged Friday that [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate]
John
McCain, in concert with the [Republican President] Bush administration,
has embarked on a studied effort to disrupt [2008] Election Day in many
states and suppress the vote." ... "In a conference call with reporters
Friday, Robert Bauer, chief counsel for the Obama campaign, suggested
that a flurry of fraudulent registration complaints recently, and a subsequent
leak by FBI [Federal Bureau of Investigation] officials that the agency
was investigating the incidents, were part of a coordinated attempt by
McCain and the administration of [Republican] President Bush to
intimidate voters." ... "As evidence of the coordination, Bauer pointed
to recent rhetoric from McCain that Acorn, a left-leaning non-profit group
implicated in submitting fraudulent voter registration forms in several
states was, as McCain put it during this week’s debate, tearing at “the
very fabric of Democracy.’’" ... "McCain’s comments about Acorn were quickly
followed by a Justice Department news leak that the FBI was investigating
the group. The leak, Bauer said, was a clear violation of Justice Department
policies and likely came from the department." ... "Bauer said the timing
of the comments and the leak suggested a “partisan plot” to suppress the
vote on Election Day." ... "In a letter to Attorney General Michael
Mukasey released Friday by the Obama campaign, Bauer called the “current
bogus claims of vote fraud’’ and the McCain campaign’s attempts to breathe
life into the allegations by urging Justice Department investigations was
“history repeating itself.’’" ... "The Republicans used similar tactics
to suppress the vote in 2000 and 2004, Bauer wrote." ... "The leaks that
the FBI recently began investigating hark back to an on-going inquiry into
whether the Justice Department was improperly involved in voter suppression
activities in 2004, Bauer said." -By Christopher Cooper
-WSJ.com
20080411
-
 Dick
Cheney -  John
Ashcroft -  Jay
Bybee -  Michael
Mukasey
- Torture
- War
Crimes - Government
-  Military
-  Intelligence
-  Terrorism
- Politics
- Secret
- Law
-  History
-  US
-  Overseas
- "Cheney,
Others OK'd Harsh Interrogations." ... "[Republican
President] Bush administration officials from Vice President Dick Cheney
on down signed off on using harsh interrogation techniques against suspected
terrorists after asking the Justice Department to endorse their legality,
The Associated Press has learned." ... "The officials also took care to
insulate President Bush from a series of meetings where CIA [Central Intelligence
Agency] interrogation methods, including waterboarding, which simulates
drowning, were discussed and ultimately approved." ... "Between 2002 and
2003, the Justice Department issued several memos from its Office of Legal
Counsel that justified using the interrogation tactics, including ones
that critics call torture." ... "The meetings were held in the White House
Situation Room in the years immediately following the [September] Sept.
11 attacks. Attending the sessions were Cheney, then-Bush aides Attorney
General John Ashcroft, Secretary of State Colin Powell, CIA Director George
Tenet and national security adviser Condoleezza Rice." ... "The principals
eventually authorized physical abuse such as slaps and pushes, sleep deprivation,
or waterboarding. This technique involves strapping a person down and pouring
water over his cloth-covered face to create the sensation of drowning."
... "The Office of Legal Counsel issued at least two opinions on interrogation
methods." ... "In one, dated [August] Aug. 1, 2002, then-Assistant Attorney
General Jay Bybee defined torture as covering "only extreme acts" causing
pain similar in intensity to that caused by death or organ failure. A second,
dated March 14, 2003, justified using harsh tactics on detainees held overseas
so long as military interrogators did not specifically intend to torture
their captives." ... "Both legal opinions since have been withdrawn." ...
"The department issued another still-secret memo in October 2001 that,
in part, sought to outline novel ways the military could be used domestically
to defend the country in the face of an impending attack. The Justice Department
so far has refused to release it, citing attorney-client privilege, and
Attorney General Michael Mukasey declined to describe it Thursday at a
Senate panel where Democrats characterized it as a "torture memo."" -By
Lara Jakes Jordan and Pamel Hess contributed to by Pete Yost
-AP via -SeattleTimes
20080405
-
Noteworthy
-
 Media
-  John
Yoo - Mike
Mukasey
- Torture
- Lawbreaking
-  Surveillance
- Military
- Intelligence- Terrorism
- Political
- Enforcement
- Barack
Obama -  Pennsylvania
- US
-  Iraq
- "The
U.S. establishment media in a nutshell." ... "In
the past two weeks, the following events transpired. A Department of Justice
memo, authored by John Yoo, was released which authorized torture and presidential
lawbreaking. It was revealed that the [Republican President Bush] Bush
administration declared the Fourth Amendment of the Bill of Rights to be
inapplicable to "domestic military operations" within the U.S. [United
States] The U.S. Attorney General [Michael Mukasey] appears to have fabricated
a key event leading to the 9/11 attacks and made patently false statements
about surveillance laws and related lawsuits. Barack Obama went bowling
in Pennsylvania and had a low score." ... "Here are the number of times,
according to NEXIS, that various topics have been mentioned in the media
over the past thirty days:" ... ""Yoo and torture" - 102" ... ""Mukasey
and 9/11" -- 73" ... ""Yoo and Fourth Amendment" -- 16" ...
""Obama and bowling" -- 1,043" ... ""Obama and Wright" --
More than 3,000 (too many to be counted)" ... ""Obama and patriotism"
- 1,607" ... ""Clinton and Lewinsky" -- 1,079" ... "And as Eric
Boehlert documents,
even Iraq -- that little five-year U.S. occupation with no end in sight
-- has been virtually written out of the media narrative in favor of mindless,
stupid, vapid chatter of the type referenced above." ... "Think about it
this way: if you were a high government official and watched as -- all
in a couple of weeks time -- it is revealed, right out in the open, that
you suspended the Fourth Amendment, authorized torture, proclaimed yourself
empowered to break the law, and sent the nation's top law enforcement officer
to lie blatantly about how and why the 9/11 attacks happened so that you
could acquire still more unchecked spying power and get rid of lawsuits
that would expose what you did, and the political press in this country
basically ignored all of that and blathered on about Obama's bowling score
and how he eats chocolate, wouldn't you also conclude that you could do
anything you want, without limits, and know there will be no consequences?
What would be the incentive to stop doing all of that?" -By
Glenn
Greenwald -Salon
20080311
-
 Joshua
B Bolten
- Harriet
E Miers
- Michael
B Mukasey
- US
Attorneys - Politics
- Investigation
- Lawsuit
- Federal
-  Texas
- Mich
-  Calif
- "House
Panel Sues to Force Bush Aides to Table: Bolten and
Miers Ignored Subpoenas In Prosecutor Probe." ... "The House Judiciary
Committee filed a lawsuit yesterday to enforce subpoenas against [Republican]
President Bush's chief of staff and his former counsel in a probe of suspected
White House involvement in the 2006 firings of nine federal prosecutors."
... "The panel filed the federal court suit against Joshua B. Bolten, White
House chief of staff since April 2006, and Harriet E. Miers, a close associate
of Bush's from Texas who resigned as White House counsel in January 2007
after a little more than two years on the job." ... "The lawsuit charges
that Bolten and Miers, who were cited by the House for contempt of Congress
last month, defied committee subpoenas by refusing to testify or provide
documents demanded by the panel." ... "But Attorney General Michael B.
Mukasey said White House aides involved in the case cannot be prosecuted
because they were following legal advice from the Justice Department. He
refused to refer the contempt citation to a grand jury." ... "The refusal
of Bolten and Miers to comply with the subpoenas "did not constitute a
crime," Mukasey said in a Feb. 29 letter to [California Democratic Representative
and] House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.)." ... "[Michigan Democratic
Representative] Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.), the Judiciary Committee
chairman, described Mukasey's refusal as "contrary to federal law" and
said the panel filed the civil lawsuit to enforce the subpoenas." ... "According
to the lawsuit, the committee launched its investigation in part to "examine
allegations of malfeasance, abuse of authority and violations of existing
laws by Executive Branch personnel."" ... "It says the year-long investigation
"has uncovered substantial evidence" that the Bush administration and Justice
Department "injected partisan considerations into the forced resignations
or retention of U.S. attorneys."" ... "It cites "credible evidence" that
U.S. attorneys who "failed to return desired indictments or failed to bring
voter fraud prosecutions that were considered politically useful to the
administration were forced to resign," as were those who "prosecuted officeholders
allied with the administration."" -By William Branigin
-WashingtonPost
20080214
-
John
McCain
- Mike
Mukasey
-
 Steven
G Bradbury
- Torture
- War
Crimes - Criminal
- Military
- Government
- Intelligence
- Terrorism
- Prisons
- Law
- Politics
-  Water
- History
-  Arizona
- 2008
Election - "Bush
Will Veto Ban On Torture: [2008 Election Republican
Presidential Candidate John] McCain, Once Tortured Himself, Joins [the
Republican President Bush] White House To Oppose Bill Prohibiting Waterboarding."
... "The White House said today that President Bush will veto a measure
that would ban the CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] from using what the
administration describes as "enhanced interrogation methods" on terror
suspects." ... "The provision, part of a broad intelligence authorization
bill passed by the House and Senate, would prohibit any interrogation techniques
to be used on prisoners that are not authorized or condoned by the U.S.
Army Field Manual." ... "[Arizona Senator] Sen. John McCain, who has previously
spoken out against torture (having been tortured himself while held captive
during the Vietnam War), voted against the bill, but said his vote was
not inconsistent with his previous calls for a ban." ... "McCain had earlier
sponsored the 2006 Detainee Treatment Act which included a ban on waterboarding,
which President Bush invalidated by a signing statement giving himself
the authority to ignore it." ... "Although President Bush has stated that
the United States has not and will not torture people, it has been learned
that Mr. Bush himself has authorized the use of waterboarding on detainees
(a practice previously prosecuted by the United States as a war crime),
and has claimed the authority to do so again in certain circumstances."
... "Despite military interrogators' assertions that waterboarding and
other brands of torture do not produce reliable intelligence, the Bush
administration continues to argue that it needs the option of waterboarding
when seeking information from recalcitrant prisoners." ... "[Republican
President Bush's] Attorney General Mike Mukasey has declined to declare
that waterboarding is torture, despite congressional demands during and
after his Senate confirmation process, fueling the administration critics'
assumption that admitting such would expose administration figures who
authorized the practice to criminal prosecution." ... "In 2005 [under Republican
President Bush, Steven G.] Bradbury signed two secret legal memos authorizing
the CIA to use waterboarding, as well as physical violence and freezing
temperatures, when questioning terror detainees." -Contributed
to by Mark Knoller and David Morgan -AP
-CBSNews
20080205
-
 Michael
Hayden - Michael
Mukasey
-  Alberto
Gonzales - Torture
- War
Crimes - Criminal
- Water
- Terrorism
- Prisons
- Intelligence
- Law
- Politics
- "CIA
chief names 3 subjected to waterboarding." ... "The
CIA [Central Intelligence Agency] director on Tuesday publicly named for
the first time the three suspected al Qaeda detainees who were subjected
to the harsh interrogation technique of waterboarding." ... ""It was used
on Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. It was used on Abu Zubayda, and it was used
on [Abd al-Rahim] al-Nashiri," CIA Director Michael Hayden told a Senate
hearing." ... "Waterboarding involves strapping a person to a surface,
covering his face with cloth and pouring water on the face to imitate the
sensation of drowning. Critics have called it torture." ... ""The CIA has
not used waterboarding for almost five years. We used it against these
three high-valued detainees because of the circumstances of the time,"
Hayden said." ... "Director of National Intelligence Michael McConnell,
who also testified at the hearing, said waterboarding remains a technique
in the CIA's arsenal, according to The Associated Press. He said it would
require [Republican President Bush's] the president's consent and legal
approval from the attorney general [currently Michael Mukasey, formerly
Alberto Gonzales], the AP reported." -By Terry Frieden
-CNN
20080110
-
John
Ashcroft - Michael
B Mukasey
- Alberto
R Gonzales -
 Debra
Wong Yang - Criminal
-  Corporate
- Government
- Lawyers
- US
Attorneys - Politics
-  Medical
-  New
Jersey -  Indiana
-  New
York
- Los
Angeles - California
- "Ashcroft
Deal Brings Scrutiny in Justice Dept.." ... "When
the top federal prosecutor in New Jersey [Christopher J. Christie] needed
to find an outside lawyer to monitor a large corporation willing to settle
criminal charges out of court last fall, he turned to [Republican] former
Attorney General John Ashcroft, his onetime boss. With no public notice
and no bidding, the company awarded Mr. Ashcroft an 18-month contract worth
$28 million to $52 million." ... "That contract, which Justice Department
officials in Washington learned about only several weeks ago, has prompted
an internal inquiry into the department’s procedures for selecting outside
monitors to police settlements with large companies." ... "The contract
between Mr. Ashcroft’s consulting firm, the Ashcroft Group, and Zimmer
Holdings, a medical supply company in Indiana, has also drawn the attention
of Congressional investigators." ... "The New Jersey prosecutor, United
States Attorney Christopher J. Christie, directed similar monitoring contracts
last year to two other former Justice Department colleagues from the [Republican
President] Bush administration, as well as to a former Republican state
attorney general in New Jersey." ... "Officials said that while there had
been no accusations of wrongdoing on the part of Mr. Christie or Mr. Ashcroft,
aides to Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey were concerned about the appearance
of favoritism." ... "Mr. Mukasey, a former federal judge who was sworn
in as attorney general in November, has vowed to remove political considerations
from decision-making at the department in the wake of a series of scandals
under his predecessor, Alberto R. Gonzales." ... "In the Bush administration,
federal prosecutors have increasingly relied on out-of-court settlements
with large corporations in criminal investigations that in the past might
have resulted in indictments and trials." ... "Mr. Christie directed similar
contracts in settlements with other medical-supply companies to two other
former Justice Department colleagues — David N. Kelley, the former United
States attorney in Manhattan [New York], and Debra Wong Yang, his counterpart
in Los Angeles [California] — and to David Samson, the former Republican
attorney general in New Jersey." (1, 2)
-By Philip Shenon -NYTimes
20071114
-
Michael
B Mukasey
- US
- Iraq
-
 Blackwater
- Business
- Military
- Law
- Politics
-  North
Carolina - "F.B.I.
Says Guards Killed 14 Iraqis Without Cause." ...
"Federal agents investigating the Sept. 16 episode in which Blackwater
security personnel shot and killed 17 Iraqi civilians have found that at
least 14 of the shootings were unjustified and violated deadly-force rules
in effect for security contractors in Iraq, according to civilian and military
officials briefed on the case." ... "The F.B.I. investigation into the
shootings in Baghdad [Iraq's capital] is still under way, but the findings,
which indicate that the company’s employees recklessly used lethal force,
are already under review by the Justice Department." ... "Prosecutors have
yet to decide whether to seek indictments, and some officials have expressed
pessimism that adequate criminal laws exist to enable them to charge any
Blackwater employee with criminal wrongdoing. Spokesmen for the Justice
Department and the F.B.I. declined to discuss the matter." ... "The case
could be one of the first thorny issues to be decided by Michael B. Mukasey,
who was sworn in as attorney general last week. He may be faced with a
decision to turn down a prosecution on legal grounds at a time when a furor
has erupted in Congress about the administration’s failure to hold security
contractors accountable for their misdeeds." ... "Representative David
E. Price, a North Carolina Democrat who has sponsored legislation to extend
American criminal law to contractors serving overseas, said the Justice
Department must hold someone accountable for the shootings." ... "“Just
because there are deficiencies in the law, and there certainly are,” Mr.
Price said, “that can’t serve as an excuse for criminal actions like this
to be unpunished. I hope the new attorney general makes this case a top
priority. He needs to announce to the American people and the world that
we uphold the rule of law and we intend to pursue this.”" (1, 2)
-By David Johnston and John M. Broder with contributions
by Paul von Zielbauer -NYTimes
20071113
-
Michael
Mukasey
- Alberto
Gonzales - Government
- Spying
- Intelligence
- Politics
- "Domestic
Spying Inquiry Restarted at DoJ." ... "The Justice
Department has reopened a long-dormant inquiry into the government's warrantless
wiretapping program, a major policy shift only days into the tenure of
Attorney General Michael Mukasey." ... "The investigation by the department's
Office of Professional Responsibility was shut down last year, after the
investigators were denied security clearances. Gonzales told Congress that
[Republican] President Bush, not he, denied the clearances." ... "The OPR
investigation was begun in February 2006 but was shut down a few months
later when the National Security Agency refused to grant Justice Department
lawyers the security clearances to ask questions about the program. Justice
Department officials said Gonzales recommended Bush approve the clearances,
but the president said no." ... "Bush's decision to authorize the spy agency
to monitor people inside the United States, without warrants, generated
a host of questions about the program's legal justification." -By
Devlin Barrett with contributions by Lara Jakes Jordan
-AP via -SFGate.com
-
Michael
Mukasey
- Torture
- Law
- Politics
- Doctors
- Human
Rights - "U.S.
Army reiterates waterboarding ban." ... "With Congress'
approval of a new [Republican President Bush] attorney general who refused
to describe waterboarding as torture, the U.S. Army has sent out a message
to its leaders repeating that the interrogation technique is prohibited
in the military." ... "The service issued the Nov. 6 message "to eliminate
any confusion that may have arisen as a result of recent public discourse
on the subject."" ... "The U.S. military formally banned waterboarding
as an interrogation technique in September 2006." ... "However, at Senate
confirmation hearings last month, then-attorney general nominee Michael
Mukasey repeatedly refused to say whether he considers waterboarding a
form of torture, as claimed by an unlikely coalition of military officials,
doctors and humans rights groups." -By Pamela Hess
-AP via -SeattlePI
20071109
-
Alberto
Gonzales -
 Bradley
Schlozman
- Michael
Mukasey
- Poor
- Race
- Politics
-  People
- Election
- Civil
Rights - Enforcement
- "Justice
Department returns to enforcing voter laws." ...
"The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division is reversing course and
has begun taking steps to enforce a 1993 law that's intended to make it
easier for poor minorities to register to vote." ... "The division, which
has come under attack for allegedly pursuing policies aimed at suppressing
the votes of Democratic-leaning minorities, has demanded that 18 states
provide evidence that they're complying with the National Voter Registration
Act." ... "If it is fully pursued, this new action will represent the first
significant return to traditional enforcement of voting-rights laws since
a scandal erupted earlier this year over the alleged politicization of
the Justice Department." ... "McClatchy Newspapers disclosed last spring
that the Civil Rights Division had failed to enforce a variety of voting-rights
laws intended to protect the ability of minorities, especially African-Americans,
to vote. The controversy led to the resignations of Attorney General Alberto
Gonzales and seven other officials, including Bradley Schlozman, the former
acting civil rights chief." ... "Now attorney general nominee Michael Mukasey,
whose confirmation was debated by the Senate Thursday night, has pledged
to insulate the agency's law enforcement decisions from partisan politics."
... "Some election watchdog groups are skeptical, saying that the enforcement
push might be a cosmetic response to widespread criticism and congressional
scrutiny of the division." -By
Greg
Gordon -McClatchyDC.com
-
Michael
Bernard Mukasey
- Alberto
R Gonzales - Water
- Torture
- Politicians
- Human
Rights - Law
-
 Conn
- Calif
- New
York
- Ind
-  Del
-  La
-  Neb
- "Senate
Confirms Mukasey By 53-40: Historically Low Tally
for New Attorney General." ... "The final tally gave [Republican President
Bush's Attorney General nominee Michael Bernard] Mukasey the lowest number
of yes votes for any attorney general since 1952, just weeks after lawmakers
of both parties had predicted his easy confirmation. Mukasey takes the
place of Alberto R. Gonzales, who left under a cloud of scandal in September."
... "He avoided defeat only because a half-dozen Democrats voted in favor
of the appointment along with Republicans and Democrat-turned-independent
Joseph I. Lieberman (Conn. [Connecticut])." ... "Mukasey, 66, had outraged
many lawmakers and human rights groups by repeatedly refusing to classify
waterboarding, a simulated-drowning technique, as torture. His few Democratic
supporters said last night that, although they are troubled by his equivocal
views on waterboarding, they believe Mukasey represents the best possibility
for change at the troubled Justice Department. "This is the only chance
we have," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif. [California])." ... "The
other Democrats in favor of the confirmation were Sens. Charles E. Schumer
(N.Y. [New York]), Evan Bayh (Ind. [Indiana]), Thomas R. Carper (Del. [Delaware]),
Mary Landrieu (La. [Louisiana]) and Ben Nelson (Neb.)." ... "Mukasey garnered
the lowest number of yes votes among confirmed attorneys general since
James P. McGranery, who was approved by a vote of 52 to 18 in 1952 during
the [Democratic President Harry] Truman administration. The only recent
competitor is [Republican President Bush's nominee] John D. Ashcroft, who
attracted 58 yes votes from the GOP-controlled Senate in 2001." (1, 2)
-By Dan Eggen Paul Kane with contributions by Madonna
Lebling -WashingtonPost
20071105
-
John
McCain
-
 Rudy
Giuliani
- Michael
B Mukasey
- Torture
- Military
- Intelligence
- Law
- New
York
- 2008
Election - "Torture
debate between McCain, Giuliani, gets personal."
... "The Republican debate over torture has become a debate over resumes,
as [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] John McCain warns
from personal experience about the dangers of harsh questioning and [2008
Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Rudy Giuliani takes credit
for his skill with it as a prosecutor." ... "“When someone says waterboarding
is similar to harsh interrogation techniques used against the mafia in
New York City, they do not have enough experience to lead our military,”
McCain said Sunday night at a town-hall meeting here." ... "McCain, a leading
critic of attorney-general nominee Michael B. Mukasey’s refusal to define
waterboarding as illegal, was responding to comments made Friday by Giuliani
in which the former U.S. attorney – in broad, unspecific terms – appeared
to defend the practice. " -By Sasha Issenberg
-Boston/Globe
20071102
-
Michael
B Mukasey
- Water
- Torture
- Law
- Politics
- Military
- Government
- Intelligence
- "Bush
Administration Blocked Waterboarding Critic: Former
DOJ Official Tested the Method Himself, in Effort to Form Torture Policy."
... "A senior Justice Department official, charged with reworking the administration's
legal position on torture in 2004 became so concerned about the controversial
interrogation technique of waterboarding that he decided to experience
it firsthand, sources told ABC News." ... "Daniel Levin, then acting assistant
attorney general, went to a military base near Washington [DC] and underwent
the procedure to inform his analysis of different interrogation techniques."
... "After the experience, Levin told [Republican President] White House
officials that even though he knew he wouldn't die, he found the experience
terrifying and thought that it clearly simulated drowning." ... "Levin,
who refused to comment for this story, concluded waterboarding could be
illegal torture unless performed in a highly limited way and with close
supervision. And, sources told ABC News, he believed the [Republican President]
Bush Administration had failed to offer clear guidelines for its use."
... "According to retired Rear [Admiral] Adm. John Hutson, "There is no
question this is torture -- this is a technique by which an individual
is strapped to a board, elevated by his feet and either dunked into water
or water poured over his face over a towel or a blanket."" ... "The legal
justification of waterboarding has come to the forefront in the debate
swirling around Michael B. Mukasey's nomination for attorney general. "
(1, 2)
-By Jan Crawford Greenburg and Ariane de Vogue
-ABCNEWS.com
20071031
-
Michael
Mukasey
- Alberto
R Gonzales -
 Joseph
R Biden
- 2008
Election - Torture
- US
Attorneys - Criminal
- Politics
- "Mukasey's
reply draws more fire: The attorney general nominee
declines to call water-boarding torture, as Democrats on Senate panel had
sought." ... "[Attorney General] Atty. Gen.-designate Michael B. Mukasey,
adopting a middle ground on an issue that has become central to his nomination,
said coercive interrogation methods, including a form of simulated drowning,
were "over the line" and "repugnant." But he declined to say whether he
thought so-called water-boarding was a form of torture that would be illegal
in all cases." ... "His position, detailed in a letter late Tuesday to
the Senate Judiciary Committee, where his nomination to succeed Alberto
R. Gonzales has stalled, fell short of assurances sought by some leading
Democrats and cast doubt over whether Mukasey would be confirmed." ...
"One member of the Judiciary Committee, [2008 Election Democratic Presidential
Candidate and Delaware Senator] Sen. Joseph R. Biden Jr. (D-Del.), said
Tuesday that Mukasey did not go far enough in condemning torture, and that
he would vote against the nomination. "We cannot have a United States attorney
general who will equivocate and dissemble on this matter," said Biden,
a presidential candidate." ... "Late Tuesday, the [Republican President
Bush] White House released Mukasey's responses to the other questions."
... "In them, Mukasey indicated he would not be willing to appoint a special
prosecutor to investigate allegations of politicization of the department
under Gonzales, including the firing of nine U.S. attorneys last year."
... "Biden had asked Mukasey whether he would appoint a special prosecutor
in the event that the inspector general uncovered potential criminal conduct
by Gonzales or other personnel." -By Richard B. Schmitt
-LAtimes
20071030
-
Michael
B Mukasey
- Rudolph
W Giuliani
- John
McCain
- Prisoner
- Torture
- Law
- Opinion
- Classified
- Government
- Politics
- Intelligence
- History
- New
York
- Arizona
- "Mukasey
Unsure About Legality of Waterboarding." ... "In
an effort to quell growing doubts in the Senate about his nomination as
[Republican President Bush's] attorney general, Michael B. Mukasey on Tuesday
declared that waterboarding and other harsh interrogation techniques “seem
over the line or, on a personal basis, repugnant to me” and promised to
review the legality of all such techniques if confirmed." ... "But Mr.
Mukasey told Senate Democrats he could not offer an opinion on whether
waterboarding, which simulates drowning, is illegal torture because he
has not been briefed on the details of the classified technique and does
not want to suggest that Central Intelligence Agency officers who have
used such techniques may be in “personal legal jeopardy.”" ... "Mr. Mukasey
noted that Congress had not explicitly banned the use of waterboarding
by the Central Intelligence Agency, though the method was outlawed for
use by the military in the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005. That left room
for interpretation as to whether waterboarding or any other technique is
prohibited as “cruel, inhuman, or degrading” treatment, he wrote." ...
"All 10 Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee wrote to Mr. Mukasey
last week asking that he clarify his position on waterboarding. “Your unwillingness
to state that waterboarding is illegal may place Americans at risk of being
subject to this abusive technique,” the senators wrote." ... "Last week,
after [2008 Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Rudolph W. Giuliani,
the former New York mayor, said he wasn’t sure about waterboarding because
he thought “the liberal media” might not have described it properly, [2008
Election Republican Presidential Candidate] Senator John McCain of Arizona,
who was tortured himself as a prisoner in North Vietnam, shot back." ...
"“All I can say is that it was used in the Spanish Inquisition, it was
used in Pol Pot’s genocide in Cambodia, and there are reports that it is
being used against Buddhist monks today,” Mr. McCain said." -By
Scott Shane -NYTimes
-
Michael
Mukasey
- Torture
- Politics
- Government
- Enforcement
-
 Vermont
- "Bush
nominee Mukasey draws more heat on torture." ...
"Michael Mukasey, [Republican] U.S. President George W. Bush's nominee
to be attorney general, said on Tuesday he does not know if any waterboarding
interrogation methods that may be used by the United States constitute
unlawful torture." ... "Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy, a Vermont Democrat[ic
Senator], said he was unsatisfied with Mukasey's letter, written in response
to questions submitted to him after his confirmation hearing earlier this
month." ... ""I remain very concerned that Judge Mukasey finds himself
unable to state unequivocally that waterboarding is illegal and below the
standards and values of the United States," Leahy said." ... "Leahy said
he will await Mukasey's written responses to other questions before scheduling
a committee vote on whether to send the nominee to the Senate for confirmation
as the chief U.S. law enforcement officer." -By Thomas
Ferraro with contributions by Richard Cowan
-Reuters
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