Scandal

December 19, 2007 -- (Washington, DC) - House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) gave the following statement at the Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security Subcommittee Hearing on "Enforcement of Federal Criminal Law to Protect Americans Working for U.S. Contractors in Iraq." Today, former KBR/Halliburton employee Jamie Leigh Jones, testified that she was raped and held captive by her KBR/Halliburton colleagues while serving as a contractor in Iraq.    » read more »

"I strongly oppose the blanket grant of retroactive immunity in the Intelligence Committee bill to amend the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. This Administration violated FISA by conducting warrantless surveillance of Americans for more than five years. They got caught, or they would probably still be doing it. When the public found out about the President’s illegal surveillance of Americans, the Administration and the telephone companies were sued by citizens who believe their privacy and their rights were violated.    » read more »

December 18, 2007 -- WASHINGTON, DC— Today, Senator Edward M. Kennedy sent the following letter to Robert S. Mueller III, Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, regarding the destruction by the CIA of videotapes of the interrogation of two detainees.

Senator Kennedy requests notification as to whether or not the FBI has retained such videotapes or transcripts, and if so, that they be preserved and make available for inspection.

The text of the letter is below.

December 18, 2007

Robert S. Mueller III

Director    » read more »

Washington, D.C. -- December 18, 2007 -- U.S. Senator Arlen Specter (R-Pa.), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, today appeared on CNN’s American Morning where he discussed Senator Reid’s decision to delay consideration of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act until January. He also addressed Attorney General Mukasey’s refusal to accommodate Senator Specter and Senator Leahy’s request for information regarding the destruction of the CIA tapes.

A transcript of the interview is below:    » read more »

December 17, 2007 -- (Washington, DC) - Today, House Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) sent a letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey reiterating the Chairman's request to have a Department of Justice representative testify at Thursday's hearing on the "Applicability of Federal Criminal Laws to the Interrogation of Detainees."    » read more »

Wapello, IA (December 15, 2007) - Yesterday Attorney General Michael Mukasey "rejected lawmakers' demands for information", thus blocking bipartisan inquiries into the CIA interrogation tapes scandal. [CNN, Washington Post, 12/15/07] The Bush administration also rebuffed calls for the appointment of a Special Counsel to conduct an independent investigation free of political interference.

Sen. Joe Biden issued the following statement:    » read more »

Des Moines, IA (December 14, 2007) – On December 9th, speaking on ABC’s “This Week with George Stephanopoulos,” Sen. Joe Biden began the call for an special counsel to investigate the destruction of CIA tapes. [ABC, This Week, 12/9/07] Yesterday, Sen. John Edwards became the second Democratic presidential candidate to join the call for an independent prosecutor. During a campaign stop yesterday in Iowa, Edwards said, “I’m completely supportive of an independent prosecutor.    » read more »

WASHINGTON (Thursday, Dec. 13, 2007) – In a bipartisan vote, the Senate Judiciary Committee Thursday found former White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove and White House Chief of Staff Joshua Bolten to be in contempt of Congress for failing to comply with subpoenas issued in connection with the Committee’s investigation into the mass firings of U.S. Attorneys.    » read more »

December 13, 2007 -- Washington, DC – Former Senate Judiciary Chairman Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) announced his support today for issuing contempt citations for White House Chief of Staff Josh Bolten and former Dep. Chief of Staff Karl Rove for refusing to comply with congressional subpoenas for documents and testimony on the White House's role in the firings of several distinguished U.S. attorneys.    » read more »

December 12, 2007 -- Washington, DC – Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton today called for an investigation of allegations by Jamie Leigh Jones that she was brutally raped and forcibly detained while serving as a contractor in Iraq. According to news reports, more than two years later, no United States government agency or department has undertaken a proper investigation of the incident.    » read more »

Washington, D.C. -- December 11, 2007 -- The U.S. Congress should vote in favor of the legislation currently before the House and Senate outlawing harsh interrogation techniques and requiring all U.S. intelligence agencies, including the Central Intelligence Agency, to abide by the U.S. Army Field Manual, Freedom House said today.    » read more »

12/11/2007 -- SANTA FE, NM-- New Mexico Governor and Democratic Presidential candidate Bill Richardson today issued the following statement regarding the Senate Intelligence Committee hearings on the destruction of CIA videotapes of interrogation techniques used against a terror suspect:    » read more »

December 11, 2007 -- Washington, DC — Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid made the following statement today on the floor of the U.S. Senate, calling for a full accounting of the circumstances surrounding the destroyed tapes of CIA interrogations. Below are his remarks as prepared for delivery:

“As the end of 2007 continues to draw near, we have a busy week ahead of us. We hope to complete action on the appropriations process, which will require the White House, along with House and Senate Republicans, to be reasonable in the pursuit of common ground.    » read more »

Washington, D.C. -- December 11, 2007 -- Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) and Ranking Member Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) Monday sent a letter to Attorney General Michael B. Mukasey asking a series of questions about the Justice Department’s knowledge of and involvement in the Central Intelligence Agency’s possession and subsequent destruction of videotapes showing interrogations of detainees. The Department of Justice has launched an initial investigation into the matter.    » read more »

December 11, 2007 -- Washington, DC – Former Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee Joseph R. Biden, Jr. (D-DE) sent a letter to Fred Fielding, Counsel to the President, asking him to confirm that the White House and the Office of the Vice President are preserving all documents related to the Central Intelligence Agency’s policies and programs regarding the detention and interrogation of individuals involved in international terrorism.    » read more »